For the Love of Pikachu
by PokeMaster64
Summary: When a female Pikachu visits the gang, Pikachu develops a crush on it, which makes Buneary jealous. However, the wild Pikachu is not what it seems. Also, Team Rocket manages to get a lot of money and they're going to use it to catch Pikachu. Question is, what are they buying?
1. Opputunity comes on paper

It was a nice and quiet evening in the wonderful land of Sinnoh. The Starly were in their nest sleeping. The Bidoof were running around and playing in the creek. Three people were falling from the sky. The Kricketot were humming a sweet melody. The…wait a minute, three people falling from the sky.

There was indeed three people falling from the sky and they made a large crash, miraculously surviving the impact. They emerged from the ground. Two of them were human while the other was a Pokémon. It was Team Rocket, the evil gang that steals Pokémon, but fail miserably.

Jessie, James, and Meowth got up and started to cough up dirt. Jessie then started to rant. "Unbelievable, another failed mission to capture that twerp's Pikachu. This is getting annoying."

James started to dust himself off. "Well, in retrospect, we were low on money and couldn't afford the insulation needed for the robot."

Jessie grabbed James' collar and shook him violently. "That isn't an excuse to not have worked harder to get it."

Meowth dusted himself off as well. "Chill Jess, no need to pop off James' head." Jessie let go of James and then went over to Meowth.

"This is mostly your fault, you know." Meowth was in utter shock and rage.

"What do you mean this is my fault?!"

"You were the one who was suppose to handle the money, but you go behind our backs and use it for your own selfish reasons."

"It isn't my fault that I was hungry, and I wouldn't have been hungry if it weren't for the fact that you cook like a Loudred in a kitchen."

"What is that suppose to mean?!"

"It means your cooking is terrible."

The two had lightning shooting out of their eyes while James just stood there feeling awkward in the situation. True, they get into a lot of fights, but it gets annoying after the last few blast offs. James, after watching them fight for a couple minutes, said, "It really is all of our faults."

Jessie and Meowth stared at him confused. "What do you mean?" They said in unison.

James shrugged. "Well, we already had Pikachu in the shock-proof cage. It's just that sense we were so elated that we captured it, we never realized that one of the twerpette's Pokémon managed to get into the robot." Jessie and Meowth stood there pondering what he said, then thought back to what happened when they caught Pikachu earlier today.

_FLASHBACK_

_Team Rocket has just captured Pikachu in a shock-proof cage and were riding away in their robot. The entire thing was bulky and blue with the Team Rocket logo on the front._

_Ash, Dawn, Piplup, Buneary, and Brock were chasing down the villains. "Team Rocket, give me back Pikachu!" Ash yelled angrily._

_Jessie stuck her tongue out at him. "Fat chance, twerp. Pikachu is going to our boss and there is nothing you can do."_

_Ash growled. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"_

_Pikachu nodded. "Pi-ka…chuuuuuuuuuuu!" He fired the attack, only for it to be ineffective._

_James laughed. "You think were stupid enough to not put you into a shock-proof cage." Pikachu grumbled. "Meowth, full speed ahead."_

"_Meowth, I'm on it." He accelerated the engine and the robot was going twice as fast._

_The gang stopped after watching the sudden burst of speed. "Oh man, now will never catch them." Dawn said._

"_There has to be someway to catch up to that machine." Brock said._

_Dawn suddenly notice something was missing. "Guys, where's Buneary?" Ash and Brock both looked to see that, indeed, the rabbit Pokémon has disappeared._

_Piplup pointed his flipper in Team Rockets direction. "Pip-lup." They looked to see that Buneary was on the machine and broke into a conveniently attached vent._

"_What's Buneary doing?" Dawn wondered._

"_She must be trying to save Pikachu." Brock suggested._

"_Well, I hope she does." Ash said._

_As for Team Rocket, they were singing a merry tune… "We got Pikachu. We are going to be rich, yo ho!"…which was horribly pitched, making Pikachu cover his ears in annoyance. _

_Out of the corner of Pikachu's eye, he saw the air vent open. Buneary popped out of it quietly and gave Pikachu a cute wink. "Pika!" He said quietly, happy to see Buneary rescue him and a bit embarrassed by the wink. Buneary hopped on over to the cage and tried to unlock it. However, the task proved to be difficult without trying to make any noise._

_Meowth looked at the screen in front of him and saw Buneary in the reflection. He gasped and yelled, "Guys, that twerpette's Buneary is in here!" They turned and were shock to see it in here._

"_Quick, let's get it." Jessie yelled. James and Meowth nodded and the three jumped at Buneary. _

_With quick thinking, Buneary fired an Ice Beam, freezing them in place. She then grabbed Pikachu's cage and used Dizzy Punch to break through the window. They landed safely and Buneary brought the cage over to the gang._

"_Pikachu, you're okay." Ash exclaimed as he unlocked the cage. Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms and hugged him. "Buneary, thanks for rescuing Pikachu."_

"_Pika Pi-ka." Pikachu thanked as well. This made Buneary blush madly and she covered her face with her fluff, giggling real hard._

"_Now Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" _

"_Pi-ka…chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" He fired the electric attack at the robot and in a flash, it explodes._

"_Looks like Team Rockets blasting off again!" Team Rocket yelled as they disappear in the sky with a light shines for just a second._

_FLASHBACK END_

Jessie and Meowth return to reality after the flashback. "Oh, now I remember." Meowth stated.

Jessie whacked him on the head. "Of course you remember. It only happened like fifteen minutes ago."

"My point is that we should have been more careful. We should have taken the time to plan everything out before we tried to capture Pikachu." James explained.

"Well how were we supposed to know that the twerpette's Buneary was going to get into the robot?" Jessie retaliated.

"Personally, I'm not that surprised." Meowth said while rubbing his head. "That Buneary does have a crush on Pikachu. I would have done the same thing if a beautiful Skitty or female Meowth was in trouble." Meowth then started to stare off into space. Jessie, once again, hit him on the head which aggravated him. "Will you quit hitting me on the-huh, guys look."

They looked off into the distance to see a bird flying towards them. It had a white, feathery head which extended to look like a beard and a yellow beak. The rest of it was red feathers and a little white fluff that looked like a button. It was also caring a sack. "It's the Team Rocket Delibird." They said in unison.

"De De." Delibird landed in front of them, only to get crowded by them.

"Hey Delibird, you wouldn't happen to have any food in there, would you?" Meowth asked. Delibird pulled something out of its sack: a letter.

"What, that's it?" James groaned. Meowth took the letter and Delibird took off immediately.

Jessie started to chase after it. "Wait, do you at least have some food to spare?" She suddenly tripped on a rock and went face first into the ground. By the time she got up, Delibird was already gone. Jessie signed depressingly.

"Meowth, what's in the envelope?" James asked.

"I don't know, let me check." He unsheathed one of his claws and opened the envelope. "Oh my gosh, it's from the Boss." Jessie bolted over, very interested. "Here, let me read." He started to read it with his Boss voice:

_Dear Jessie, James, and Meowth,_

_I am disappointed with your progress. You still haven't captured that Pikachu, you haven't captured any other new Pokémon, and you have been wasting your checks on nonsense. I should cut your checks right now. However, sense I've been in a good mood lately, I'll give you one last chance. Inside this envelope, you will find a check for a hundred grand. Spend it wisely or else._

_Signed,_

_Giovanni_

Team Rocket were shocked by the amount of money they now have. Jessie grabbed the check and did a happy jig. "Yes, we're rich. Let's get some food." Before she could run to the nearest restaurant, Meowth scratched her face and swiped the check.

"Hold it, Jess. You heard what the boss said, 'Spend it wisely or else.' We can't just spend this kind of money on food."

"Meowth's right." James added on. "We could use the money to finally capture Pikachu."

Jessie signed. "Oh, alright. But what are we going to spend it on? Even with insulation, they'll just find a way to destroy the machine."

"Good point. What do you think we should do, Meowth?" James asked.

Meowth was thinking real hard on what to spend the money on. He then thought back to what happened the last time. After a few minutes of thinking, a light bulb went off in his head.

"I got it, and this one is fool proof."

"Really, what?" Jessie and James asked in unison.

"Huddle up and I'll tell you." They got near Meowth and he started to say something that was inaudible. After he explained the plan, they all had evil grins on their faces and laughed manically. "Look out, Pikachu. After this week, you will be under new management." 


	2. Buneary's planned date

While Team Rocket were planning their ultimate Pikachu snatching plan, our heroes were traveling down a long path. Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, and Brock were starting to get hungry.

"Man, I'm starving." Ash groaned.

"Pi Pika (Same here)." Pikachu agreed.

"Brock, can we please stop for lunch?" Dawn begged.

"Pip Piplup (Yeah, can we)?" Piplup asked.

Brock took out his Poke gear and checked the map. "Actually, the next town is pretty far away. Could take us about a week. So yeah, we can set up camp and then make some lunch."

"Alright!" Ash and Dawn exclaimed.

They found a nice spot that wasn't that far away from a beautiful lake. The trees were all so lush and green. There was a gentle breeze from the distance. The wild Pokémon that lived there were just as happy with the area as the gang.

"Alright, I'm going to start making lunch," Brock began, "In the mean time, why don't we all call out our Pokémon so they can help out."

"Right." They all threw their Pokeballs in the air and out came Infernape, Torterra, Gible, Buizel, Staraptor, Buneary, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Cyndaquil, Togekiss, Croagunk, Chansey, and Sudowoodo.

Ash, Dawn, Chansey, and Infernape were setting up the tents. Pikachu, Buneary, Pachirisu, Piplup, and Cyndaquil were putting the table together and getting things in order. Sudowoodo was helping Brock prepare the food. Mamoswine, Torterra, and Buizel were setting down the picnic blanket for the Pokémon. Staraptor and Togekiss brought some berries from the woods to Brock so he can make them into a pie. As for Croagunk, he was, uh, still being Croagunk.

As soon as camp was set up, Brock has just finish making lunch. "Alright everyone, come and get it." He was then suddenly crowded by almost everyone.

While Brock was giving everyone their food, Piplup and Buneary were having a little chat. "Nice job today, Buneary. You really showed those idiots up."

Buneary rubbed the back of her head, completely embarrassed. "Yeah, well, I wasn't about to let those guys succeed at something."

Piplup then had a mischievous look on his face. "Was this about them winning or running away with your man?" Buneary turned a dark shade of red and hid her face in her fluff. "Oh calm down, Buneary. I'm only teasing. I know you really like Pikachu."

Buneary pulls down the fluff. "I know, but sometimes I wonder if he even likes me back."

"Of course he likes you. You did save him from being run over when you first met. I would have felt that way if you save me." Buneary gave him a look. "I mean, that doesn't…mean that I like you. I'm not even in to you." Piplup then realizes is bad choice of words. "Not-not that I don't like you, I just don't," At this point, Piplup just signs. "I'm just going to shut up now."

Buneary giggles. "Oh don't worry Piplup, I know what you mean." This cheers him up a bit. "Anyway, how can I tell if Pikachu likes me?"

Piplup thought this over. "Well, usually when a boy likes a girl, they sometimes stutter their words, do a major amount of blushing, and do something to hide themselves on some occasions." He looked at Buneary to see that she had an annoyed look on her face. "What?"

"Piplup, that's me your talking about." He went over the things he said and compared them to Buneary, then finally slapping his face. Buneary signs. "I just want to do something nice with him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I went to the woods awhile ago after setting the table, I saw this beautiful lake. It looked so romantic. Just think, me and Pikachu, alone by the lake in the beautiful moonlight. I can see it now…

_Buneary's daydream_

_Outside in the luminescent moonlight, Pikachu and Buneary were sitting next to each other, arms around them, in the smooth grass and looking at the sparkling lake._

_Buneary nuzzled into Pikachu's neck. "Isn't the lake beautiful, Pikachu?"_

_Pikachu looked at her with passion. "Yeah, it has to be the second most beautiful thing I have ever seen."_

"_What's the first?"_

"_You, of course." This made her blush brightly, so did Pikachu._

"_Oh Pikachu, that is so sweet."_

_Pikachu then looked deeply into her eyes. "I just want you to know that whatever happens to us in the future, I will always love you." Their heads started to slowly gravitate towards each other. Their lips were only millimeters away when…_

_Dream interrupted_

"BUNEARY!"

Buneary snapped out of her daydream to see that Piplup woke her up. "Aw man, we were so close to kissing."

"Sorry to interrupt your fantasy, I was just worried." Piplup apologized.

Buneary signs. "It's okay. I just wish I could find some way to ask him to come with me to the lake."

Piplup looked behind her and smiled. "Well you might just get your chance because he's coming over here."

"WHAT?!" she turned her head to see Pikachu coming over to her, with two bowls of food. "Oh man, what do I do? What do I say? What do I wear?"

Piplup casually walks away saying, "Do what you usually say and do, and the only clothing you wear is that vest your wearing." Buneary looks down to see she was indeed wearing her vest. When Piplup went over to get his food, Buneary signs and turns around, running into Pikachu. The food lands on the ground, somehow staying in their bowls.

The two looked at each, Buneary being on top of Pikachu, with a big blush on their faces. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to run into you." Buneary says frantically.

Pikachu, getting over his daze, smiles and says, "It's okay Buneary. You didn't mean to run into me after all." This makes her feel better and they start to get off the ground. Pikachu goes over to the two bowls of food and picks them up.

Buneary was puzzled. "Uh, Pikachu, why do you have two bowls of food? Are you really that hungry?"

Pikachu chuckles. "No, this other bowl is for you actually."

Buneary was shocked. "For me?" Pikachu nods. _Oh man, he is such a gentleman._

"I figured we could sit and chat together, alone." Buneary had to pinch herself to make sure she didn't end up in another fantasy land. When she realized she was awake, she started to jump up and down excitedly. Pikachu chuckled again. "I'll take that as a yes."

They sat on the soft patch of grass and began to eat their food. Buneary was having a hard time on concentrating with what Pikachu is saying because she couldn't stop thinking about how nice Pikachu is being. She was staring dreamingly at Pikachu, not paying attention to what she was doing.

"Uh, Buneary." She thought he sounded cute when he says her name. "Buneary." It sounded even cuter to her, but slightly louder. "Buneary." Okay, Pikachu was definitely getting louder now. "BUNEARY!"

She snapped out of her state to see Pikachu had a confused, yet humorous look on his face. "Is something wrong Pikachu?" she asked in concern.

"Well, that depends. Do you usually eat grass instead of Poke food?" Buneary was confused by this until she saw her bowl, which looked barely touched. In her paw was a bunch of grass and she just realized that she was spaciously eating grass the whole time. She started to spit out grass from her mouth and wipe it off her tongue. Pikachu was doing his best to hold back a laugh.

When she finally got all the grass out of her mouth, she looked back at Pikachu, completely embarrassed. "Sorry. My mind was kind of on other things. So I wasn't paying attention."

"Don't worry Buneary. A lot of people or Pokémon do that."

Buneary perked up. "Thanks. So what were you talking about anyway?"

Pikachu retraced his thoughts and said, "Well, I was thanking you for rescuing me earlier today. You really are one amazing Pokémon." Buneary resisted the urge to go crazy from the kind words. "And, if you want, maybe we can…you know…do something together, sometime."

This was the chance Buneary was looking for. "Actually, I already have an idea. There's this lake not too far from here. Maybe we could go there tonight." She really hoped this plays out like in her fantasies.

"I don't know Buneary. I'm kind of worn out today and we are only staying here for one night, remember?" Pikachu said, even though he did want to check out the lake.

Buneary was depressed by this, but managed to keep a calm expression. "Oh, it's okay. I just wish we could have seen it together." She was now hoping for some sort of miracle at this moment.

"Hey guys, I got some bad news." Brock suddenly said to Ash and Dawn.

"What's wrong Brock?" Ash asked.

"I was looking at my Pokegear and it turns out there is a bridge up ahead. For some strange reason, it was destroyed not to long ago."

"Oh no." Dawn yelled. "Well, how long is it going to take for it to get rebuilt?"

"According to this, about a week. So we're going to have to stay here until then."

"Well I'm cool with that. I could do some extra training with my Pokémon." Ash said.

"And I could practice some contest moves for the next contest." Dawn agreed.

"Well then, it's settled. We're staying here until the bridge is fixed." They nodded and continued to eat.

Buneary was surprised sense she asked for a miracle and she just got one. "Well, isn't that a coincidence? But it means we can go to the lake together Pikachu."

"Yeah, guess we can. How about we continue to eat and maybe I can tell you about some of my best battles during my adventures with Ash." Buneary agreed and they started to eat and talk.

However, unbeknownst to everyone, there was a pair of black eyes staring at Pikachu through a bush. It then moved to a different part of the area. 


	3. Enter Laura and New Mysteries

As soon as everyone was done eating, the gang started talking about some training they were going to be doing sense they were stuck at their campsite for a week.

While they were talking, some of the Pokémon were playing around with a beach ball. The only ones that weren't playing were Torterra, Mamoswine, Togekiss, Staraptor, and Croagunk. They were just lounging around, enjoying the nice, orange sky.

The others were passing the ball around. Pikachu jumped into the air and slammed his tail at the ball, sending it to Buizel. He punched it with great force and it went flying towards Pachirisu. Unfortunately, due to his small size and the speed of the ball, Pachirisu was slammed into a tree.

Everyone went over to him. "Pachirisu, are you okay?" Chansey asked in concern.

Pachirisu's eyes were twisty and there were imaginary Torchic running around his head. "I smell the color purple." He said stupidly.

Pikachu sighed. "Yeah, he's fine." Everyone went back to the game while Pachirisu dizzily spun around in circles and fell down.

Piplup went over to Buneary, who just bounced the ball to Sudowoodo. "So Buneary, did you ask Pikachu out?" This caused her to topple over in embarrassment.

"Piplup, don't say that, and yes I asked him." Buneary said with a big blush.

"And he said…" Piplup said, awaiting an answer.

"He said…" she was hesitant, then suddenly beamed in a loud whisper, "YES, HE SAID YES. Can you believe it?"

"Um…no." Buneary glared at him. "Kidding, I'm kidding. So when are you two going?"

"Oh, sometime tomorrow or this week. The point is that this is definitely the week where I'll tell Pikachu my exact, true feelings about him. Then will snuggle with each other, hug, watch the sunset, have our first kiss with each other…" Buneary suddenly started to stare in to space, meaning she's daydreaming again.

Piplup sweat-dropped. "I feel like she does this every single day." He said to himself. He then heard her mumble something along the lines of 'I do'. Having enough of her dazing out, he shook her awake.

She shook her head. "What happened?"

Piplup sighed. "You zonked out, AGAIN!" he said, being frustrated waking her up every other day.

Buneary chuckled lightly. "Sorry, I get kind of careless."

"Buneary heads up." Infernape yelled out to her. Not having enough time to react, Buneary got clonked by the ball and it rolled into the forest. Buneary rubbed her head feeling dizzy and started seeing double. _Just how hard is that ball anyway?_ She thought angrily.

Everyone came over to check on her. Pikachu was probably the most concern. "Buneary, are you okay?"

Buneary looked up at him, her vision slowly returning to normal. She noticed that the light around him was bouncing off his fur. It gave it a bit of a gold color. Buneary started to blush and her heart started to flutter. "So cute." She said in a low whisper.

"What did you say?" Pikachu asked confused.

Buneary quickly replied, "I said…I'm okay." Pikachu smiled and gave her a paw to help her up. "Thanks." She then looked around. "Hey, where's the ball?"

"It kind of rolled into the forest after it hit you."

"Oh, well I'll go get it." Buneary was about to hop to it, but Pikachu put a paw on her shoulder. Her heart started to flutter five times faster then normal.

"Buneary, you don't have to get it. Just because it hit you doesn't mean that you should get it."

"Can I get it then?" Gible asked while chewing on a large rock.

Pikachu started to think, and said to Buneary, "On second thought, maybe it would be safer if you get." Buneary giggled and started to hop into the forest. Pikachu smiled._ If Buneary is this much fun to be around, maybe I'll have a lot of fun with her at the lake._

Buneary was searching for the beach ball, but the task was starting to prove difficult. She started to become frustrated. "Oh come on, how far could that ball even roll?"

She started to look through some bushes. She then found the ball right next to a large bush. She smiled with delight and went over to pick up the ball.

Suddenly, the bush started to shake. Buneary froze. The bush was still shaking. Buneary calmed herself and slowly walked over to the ball. She was hoping there wasn't a big, scary Pokémon in the bush. She quickly grabbed the ball and the shaking stopped.

Buneary just shrugged and proceeded back, only to see a dark silhouette in front of her with piercing red eyes glaring down at her. Buneary went in to a panic. She dropped the ball and jumped over the figure. She started to hop frantically back to the group.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

"…and that's why I willingly wear a cheerleading outfit." Piplup said finishing his story for everyone. Everyone, however, had shocked looks on their faces, even Dawn's Pokémon.

Pikachu relaxed and said, "Okay, next time you tell us a story like that, please don't." Piplup sighed and went to sit back down. "By the way, where's Buneary? It's been like ten minutes. I'm a little worried."

"She's fine Pikachu. She's stronger than she looks." Pachirisu said comforting him. Pikachu smiled a little and continued to stare at the way Buneary went through.

Suddenly, Buneary came flying through the trees in a frightened state and embraced Pikachu. "Pikachu, please help me!" she said with tears in her eyes.

Pikachu was taken back by the sudden appearance, but relaxed and softly stroked her back and wiped away the tears. "Calm down, Buneary. What happened?" he said soothingly.

Buneary eased herself and explained, "Well, I found the ball. But it was next to this bush that was violently shaking. I slowly walked to it and quickly grabbed the ball, and then the bush went silent. I turn around and was face to face with some creepy creature with red eyes. I ran all the back here, scared to death." She then continued to sob into Pikachu's shoulder, which he didn't mind. However, if the others were to look closely, they could see a faint blush on his face.

"So, where's the ball?" Gible asked. Everyone, except Buneary, turned and glared at the small brained Pokémon. Pikachu's glare was especially colder, causing Gible to nervously back away.

Pikachu then went back to comforting Buneary. "Just forget about the ball Buneary. Just stay here and let me take care of you." Buneary looked into Pikachu's eyes and nodded. She then nuzzled her head into his neck, causing Pikachu's blush to become more noticeable. But he then hugged her a little tighter, making Buneary blush brighter. Some of the others said 'aww' and others were snickering. Buneary didn't want this moment with Pikachu to end.

Suddenly, the bushes started to shake, causing everyone to get into a defensive stance. Buneary hid behind Pikachu, who was preparing to Thunderbolt whatever was about to come out of the bush. Everyone notice a pair of glowing red eyes in the bush, freaking Buneary out.

"T-t-those are the s-same eyes from the t-t-thing I s-s-saw." Buneary stuttered in fright. Pikachu's electric sacs started to shoot out lightning wildly. _Whatever that thing is, it's going to pay for scaring my Buneary…Wait, did I just say 'my Buneary'. Never mind, my point still stands._

The figure came out of the bush. The Pokémon were in shock. The creature brought back their ball, but that's not what disarmed them the most.

"It's a…Pikachu?!" Indeed, the creature was another Pikachu, but looked different from their Pikachu. This one was slightly thinner. It had a tail that was rounded into the shape of a heart, indicating it was female. She also had a small, pink bow on her. Everyone was surprised and flabbergasted by the wild Pikachu.

"Did anyone lose a ball?" The wild Pikachu asked with an elegant tone. The Pokémon, however, were still in shock.

"So…let me get this straight…the Pokémon that made you run all the way back here in fright…was my species?" Pikachu asked Buneary, who was just as confused.

"Well, in my defense, it was dark and I was freaking at the time." Buneary said.

The female Pikachu walked over to Pikachu and Buneary. "Oh, that was you. I'm dreadfully sorry I caused you so much fright. I only wanted to say hi."

"Um, well, I guess I'll accept your apology." Buneary said, still a little jumpy.

"So, anyway…" Pikachu began, when he saw some words on the bow, "Laura, right?" Laura nodded. "Do you have a trainer or something?"

"No, I was released into the wild awhile ago. I've only been here for a few weeks, then I met you, cutie." She flicked Pikachu's nose and he started to blush. Buneary started to tense up. "You also look really strong, too."

"Oh, uh, well, uh, t-th-th-thanks." He said nervously. Pikachu shook it off and tried to stay calm. "Anyway…thanks for getting are ball back."

"No problem, just my way of saying sorry." Laura started to shuffle her feet. "Also, would you mine if I could…play with you guys and stay with you for awhile?"

Before Pikachu could answer, Piplup came over to Laura with hearts in his eyes. "We would be honor if you could play. We would also enjoy your company, and maybe I could take you on a romantic stroll…" Before he could continue, Piplup felt a sudden pain in his side, curtsy of Croagunk. "Now I know…how…Brock feels." He topples over and Croagunk passes him over to Chansey.

"I thought…one love-struck weirdo…was enough." Croagunk said in a neutral tone.

Laura was nervously laughing. "Well, I am both flattered and disturbed." She then composed herself. "So, about what I asked?"

Pikachu turned towards the group. "Well, what do you guys think?" They chattered amongst themselves and finally nodded their heads in agreement. "Great, what about you Buneary?"

Buneary, however, wasn't totally sure. _There is something about this Laura that I just don't like. She just comes out of nowhere and starts to flirt with my boyfriend…who, technically, isn't…my boyfriend. You know what; I have nothing to worry about. Pikachu and I will go to the lake, enjoy the night, and then we come back as a couple. But just in case, I should probably keep an eye on her._ With her thoughts wrapped up, she says, "I'm okay with it."

"Awesome, let's go tell are trainers." Pikachu says as he rushes over with the others in toll.

What no one realized during all of this, a cloaked Pokémon was watching them from the trees. "They have no idea what they got themselves into. Still, I need their help soon. That Buneary and Pikachu just may be the ones that will help me find my trainer and help stop the threat that is coming." With that, the figure jumps into the forest, disappearing from sight.


	4. Jealousy is Dangerous

While the Pokémon were heading back to camp, the trainers were getting ready for bed. Dawn looked around the area. "Hey guys, where's the Pokémon?"

Ash and Brock looked around to see. "Hmm, I think they went into the forest." Brock suggested.

"Well they better get back soon. It's time to get some sleep, and then tomorrow will be a full day of training." Ash exclaimed pumping his fist in the air. The other two laughed at Ash's excitement.

Behind them, they heard some leaves rustling. They turned to see their Pokémon finally coming back, not noticing the tag along behind Torterra. "There you guys are. Where have you been?" Dawn asked.

"(Pi Pi Ka Pika Pikachu, Chu Pi Chu Ka) Sorry were late guys, we got sidetracked." Pikachu explained to the three trainers.

Ash, seemingly understanding Pikachu, bent down and pats his head. "Oh it's okay buddy. Just try not to do it again, okay?"

"(Pika) Right." Pikachu replied happily.

"Great, so let's start heading to bed." Brock said.

"Hold it Brock, look what's behind Torterra." Dawn said. The three trainers looked around Torterra to see a female Pikachu. "Aww, look at that cute bow on its head."

"It must be a wild Pikachu from around here. Guess they made a new friend while they were gone." Brock said.

Dawn bent down to get a closer look, but the Pikachu scooted away. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." The Pikachu slowly started to get closer to Dawn. She started to scratch its head. It started to purr to the feeling. Dawn took a look at the bow. "Oh, so I'm guessing your name is Laura?" Laura nodded and continued to purr.

"Wait, if it has a bow, doesn't that mean it has a trainer?" Ash wondered.

"Maybe her trainer released it into this forest while passing by." Brock wondered.

"She is so cute. She would be great in contests." Dawn said. That's when she got an idea. "Hey maybe I could capture it and raise it as one of mine." This, for some reason, made Laura stop purring and she started to freak out, unbeknownst to everyone.

"Yeah Dawn, that's a great idea." Ash exclaimed.

"It could expand into a variety of new techniques for you." Brock added.

"Well, what do you all think?" Dawn said to the Pokémon. They all started to nod in agreement but Buneary, who still had her suspicions. "Well, what are we waiting for?" She started to reach for a Poke ball, until she noticed Laura suddenly hiding behind Pikachu, making Buneary glare at her. "Hey, is something wrong?"

Ash and Brock got closer to them. Brock started to speak, "It could be that it's a little spooked at the fact of being captured. Some Pokémon do get frighten after being released."

"Oh." Dawn looked back at Laura. "I'm sorry if I scared you for a second. I promise I won't catch you." Laura was hesitant for a minute, but warmed up to Dawn and gave her a hug, which Dawn happily returned.

Pikachu then remembers something and starts to speak to Ash. "Is something wrong, Pikachu?"

"Pikapi, Pika Pi Pika-Chu Chu Pi Chu Ka? (Ash, can Laura stay with us for the week?)" Pikachu asked.

Ash started to think about what he said. "Wait, are you asking if Laura can stay with us for the week." Pikachu nodded. Ash turned to Dawn and Brock. "Well?"

"I think that would be a great idea." Dawn exclaimed.

"It could even boost her confidence around the others." Brock said.

"So it's settled, Laura will be staying with us for the week." Ash said. The Pokémon started to cheer, but once again, all but Buneary. Everyone, however, noticed this time.

"Hey Buneary, aren't you happy to have another girl to talk to?" Dawn asked.

Buneary crossed her arms. "Bun. (No.)"

Brock started to scratch his chin. "I wonder why Buneary doesn't like Laura." Everyone soon noticed that Laura got closer to Pikachu, causing him to blush and Buneary's glare to become more hostile. Brock then had an amused grin. "Never mine."

"Well, I don't get it." Ash said being as clueless as ever.

Dawn sighed. "Ash, it means that Laura may like Pikachu…" Ash didn't understand. "…and Buneary likes Pikachu." Again, Ash had no clue. Dawn sighed in annoyance. "Ash, Buneary is jealous of her."

Ash managed to understand, shockingly. "Oh come on, they just met. She can just start to hate her already."

Pikachu looked over at Buneary. "Is that true Buneary?" She tensed up and blushed.

"Uh, well, uh…no, it is not true. I just think that Laura is strange." Buneary said.

"You know I'm right here, right?" Laura said, being five inches away from Buneary.

"Laura, could you give us a minute?" Pikachu asked.

"Sure thing, Cutie." Laura said as she walked over to Cyndaquil and Gible. Pikachu blushed slightly. He turned to see an irritated Buneary.

"Look Buneary, is there something about Laura you don't like or are you just jealous of her?" Pikachu asked.

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" Buneary screamed, making Pikachu tumble in fright. She saw this and calmed down. "Look, I just don't really trust her is all."

Pikachu got back up after her sudden outburst. "Why?"

Buneary sighed. "It's just…she just comes out of nowhere, saying that she was released. What would the odds be of running into another Pikachu just like that? Pretty slim chance. Then she freaks out because of a Poke Ball. Plus, when I saw her in the forest, she didn't look normal. I just don't trust her."

Pikachu took in what she said and put a paw on her shoulder. "Look Buneary, Laura can't be that bad. You just need to take a chance and try to get along with her. I don't want you upset all week." Buneary smiled at his kindness. "Can you please just try to get along with her?"

Buneary sighs. "Okay, maybe I'll try to get along with her. But if she does something-"

"She won't. If you have a problem though, just come talk to me and I'll help straighten it out. Plus, I don't want an unhappy Buneary, especially when we go to the lake this week." Buneary blushed and giggled a bit.

"Oh alright, I'll try to act happy, but only because you said so." She poked him in the chest, causing Pikachu to blush.

"Alright everyone time for bed." Brock said. They all started to get to bed. The trainers thought it would be nice for the Pokémon to sleep out for the week. Laura went into a tree and slept on a branch.

Pikachu and Buneary went to their respective master's tents. "Good night Buneary." Pikachu whispered.

"Night, Pikachu." She whispered back. They went into the tents and went to bed. Everyone was now sound asleep…except one.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

The morning came rather quickly for everyone. Brock was currently preparing breakfast for everyone. Ash was waiting at the table, while groaning and complaining about breakfast. Dawn was, as always, freaking out about her bed head when she woke up.

The Pokémon were simply waiting for their food while stretching. They all looked really hungry, especially Mamoswine and Gible.

Laura came over to the gang, not looking the least bit tired. "Hey everyone. Why are you all standing around?"

"We're just waiting for our food is all. You'll love it; Brock is the best chef ever." Torterra said.

"Well, as long as I sit next to this little cutie, I don't really care." She said as she came closer to Pikachu, making him blush awkwardly.

Buneary started to get mad, but she took a few breaths and became calmer. _Okay Buneary, relax. Pikachu wants you to be friendly with Laura, no matter how irritating she is starting to get._ "Sorry Laura, but Pikachu would prefer it better if I sit next to him for breakfast." Buneary said sweetly as she came closer to Pikachu, making his blush increase in size.

Laura laughed joyfully, however it had a hint of maliciousness in it. "Well sometimes there has to be a changed in some things." She pulled Pikachu away from Buneary, rather rashly.

"And sometimes change is a bad thing, like that idea." Buneary giggled with undetectable hatred as she pulled Pikachu away just as roughly.

"Well that's why you need to wait for the outcome before making conclusions." Laura pulls Pikachu.

"But the outcome could turnout to be a bad thing anyway." Buneary pulls Pikachu.

"Uh, girls, your kind of hurting me here." Pikachu said as he was pulled left and right repeatedly. His arms were starting to ache.

The two weren't listening. "He's eating with me." Laura pulled Pikachu.

"No, he's eating with me." Buneary pulled back.

At this point, the continuous pulling turned in to a game of tug-a-war. The two were trying to pull Pikachu into their direction while Pikachu was watching this, with an annoyed and pained expression on his face.

The others were either laughing, cheering on the tug-of-war, or becoming concerned about Pikachu. Piplup started to weep. "Why can't girls fight over me? Pikachu is so lucky."

"Oh don't cry about it. I'm sure you can find a girl." Infernape said. "And, if you ask me, Pikachu looks more hurt then happy."

"Should we help him?" Piplup suggested.

"Do you really want to stop _Buneary?_ You know how she gets when she is like this." Piplup thought it over and nodded in agreement.

The trainers were currently watching the 'tug-a-war' going. Two of them understand what was going on. "What are Buneary and Laura doing to Pikachu?" Ash asked in confusion.

"Let's just say they want to have breakfast with him." Dawn said as she sat herself down at the table.

Buneary and Laura continued with the tug-of-war, glaring at each other.

"HE'S EATING WITH ME!" Buneary shouted.

"NO, ME!" Laura shouted back.

Pikachu has had enough of the fighting. "Thunderbolt." He said as he let out an electric charge that shocked the two girls, only enough to momentarily stun them. The attack, for some reason, harmed the two equally. _Shouldn't Laura have taken less damage?_ Pikachu just shrugged it off, making his arms ache.

Buneary and Laura looked at Pikachu, bewildered. "What was that for?!" They shouted in unison.

"You two were starting to rip my arms off." Pikachu explained. "Can't you both just get along so wecan eat _together_?" The girls looked at each other, sighed, and nodded in agreement with obviously fake smiles. Pikachu was satisfied with the answer and fell over in exhaustion.

"Okay gang, Breakfast." The Pokémon came over and grabbed their food. Then Brock gave food to Dawn and Ash, the latter starting to chow down.

The Pokémon started to eat their Poke Food. As soon as Pikachu began to eat, Buneary and Laura both got close to him, the latter on the right and the former on the left. Pikachu was feeling uncomfortable with the two being so close, yet at the same time he felt an odd feeling he couldn't describe.

Being tired of the silence, Pikachu tries to start up a conversation. "So, you girls want to talk about anything?"

Buneary started to speak, "Actually, yes. Do you want to go to the lake tonight?"

"Well, I did promise you we go this week. So yeah, tonight it is." Pikachu said. Then, as usual, Buneary pulls her fluff up and giggles.

Laura smiled. "Oh, you're going to the lake near here? I heard it is most beautiful during a full moon, where the lake shines brightest. The next full moon is in four days, we could go instead." She said softly. Pikachu blushed at the idea.

Buneary, however, found the idea of _them_ going to the lake alone infuriating. She was practically on fire now. Oh, scratch that, she was on fire now. She bared her teeth and was about to attack Laura, but Piplup, being near Buneary, used a light Hydro Pump to cool her down. "Try to stay calm, please." Piplup pleaded. Buneary sighed and nodded. Piplup went back to eating.

Buneary turned to Laura. "Sorry, but he is going with me. If you want to go though, why not with Piplup?"

"As nice as he is, I don't exactly like him like that or find him cute." There were a few sobs in the background. "So Pikachu is with me."

"No, with me." Buneary retaliated.

"Uh, before you girls start fighting for me again," Pikachu said, hoping not to be another tug-of-war item, "let me remind I promised_ you_ first." He pointed at Buneary. "Sorry Laura." Buneary stuck her tongue at her when Pikachu wasn't looking.

Laura glared at her, but her ears flickered and she smiled. "Oh, it's okay, fair is fair after all. Buneary asked first and I totally respect that. I'm sorry for making you mad." She raised her paw for a friendly shake.

Buneary looked in confusion. _She goes from hating me to being friendly. Well, she did sound sincere when she said that._ Not wanting to be rude, she gladly accepts the hand shake. "Thanks for being fair Laura." Laura smiled a generous smile, without any hint of hatred in it. _She may be acting nice, but I should still keep an eye on her._ Buneary thought.

"I'm glad you two are getting along. Now let's start eating our breakfast." Pikachu said. The girls agreed and they started to eat their food.

Near a bush, three figures were watching them. "Alright, time to put our plan into action." The small one said. The taller ones nodded and they ran to a different part of the forest.


	5. Team Rocket's Masterplan is Another Net

As soon as everyone was done eating, the gang was doing some training. Ash was having a practice battle with Brock, both using Gible and Sudowoodo respectively. Dawn was doing some contest combos with Piplup and Mamoswine. The others were either battling each other or resting a bit. Laura and Buneary were _trying_ to get along with each other, but they both were still having difficulties when it came to Pikachu.

In a tree that was well shrouded was the cloaked Pokémon from before. He was watching the gang train and having fun as well. He had a small smile as he watched them. "Man, they look like they are having fun. Makes me miss my trainer." His smile dropped at the thought. "I wonder where he is." He pulled a picture out of his cloak.

It was a picture of him, his trainer, and another Pokémon next to him. However, his hiding spot made the image too dark to see. _I miss you, the both of you. As soon as I get help in the Unova region, I'll look for you._ His thoughts were interrupted by an explosion. He looked to see the practice battle was getting intense.

"Okay Gible, use Rock Smash." Ash called out. Gible's arm glowed and he started to charge forward.

"Alright Sudowoodo, use Hammer Arm to defend." Brock yelled. Sudowoodo's tree branch arm glowed and he blocked the attack. "Excellent, now use Double-Edge." Sudowoodo attacked Gible with a violent tackle that knocked it to the ground.

"Gible, are you okay?" Ash asked.

Gible got up and shook off the pain. "Gib Gib (Yeah, fine)."

"Great, now use Draco Meteor." Gible started to charge up energy then formed an orange ball of energy. It shot up in the air and burst…into a lazily falling orb. "Ah, I thought we mastered it already." Ash complained.

"Guess Gible has a unique way of attacking." Brock said.

Unfortunately for a certain penguin, the orb was flying directly at him…again. Piplup saw this and ran away in fright. The orb was about a foot away when Piplup made an immediate stop and it flew by him harmlessly. He stared blankly for a second, but smiled confidently and put his flippers on his hips. "Pip pip lup, pip lup pi lup pip (Well now, I didn't think that would work).

However, as strange as this may seem, the orb bounced off a nearby rock and aimed back at Piplup, who didn't have enough time to dodge this time. He exploded and was sitting in a crater, smoking like cooked barbeque. "Piplup, are you okay?" Piplup fell over on to his back and let out a weak chirp. Dawn sighed. "Ash, try and be more careful with that attack."

"Sorry Dawn, I thought we had it this time. It won't happen again. But just in case, you might want Piplup to take shelter behind a rock." Ash said. Dawn went over to Piplup, picked him up, and took him over to her tent so he can get some rest.

Buneary and Laura were having a conversation, trying not to kill each other. "So, what was life like for you before you came here?" Buneary asked.

"Eh, it was okay, but you guys seem to have a lot of fun here. Must be nice to travel." Laura said.

"It would be nice to go around the world to see so many new Pokémon. Sadly, I've never went anywhere outside Sinnoh. I still say it would be fun, like my life with everyone and _Pikachu._" Buneary said.

"Say, what did you use to do before you met Pika?" Laura asked.

Ignoring the fact that she called Pikachu Pika, Buneary explained, "Well, I was raised in the forest for most of my life, with my foster family."

"Hold on, foster family? You don't have real parents?" Laura asked in confusion.

"Yeah, they told me that a poacher dropped me in the forest when he was escaping the cops. They raised me like their own until I was old enough to survive on my own. Then a few weeks later, I met the gang."

"So, you don't know where your real parents are?"

"Nope, not a clue. But, if that never happened to me, I would have never met Pikachu. He is so dreamy." Buneary started to stare at him while he was talking with Buizel.

"Your right, he is dreamy." Buneary glared at her. "Oh come on, I can't say he is."

"Look, I've known Pikachu the longest, so that makes it fair that he is mine."

"You can just say you have dibs on a guy." Laura said.

"Well, I'm the cutest. I have a cute face, cute personality, and I happen to know more about him then you ever will." She crossed her arms in triumph.

Laura had a slight glare, but when her ears flickered she smiled and ditched the glare. "Heh, will see eventually."

The cloaked Pokémon watched them with caution. "Don't think that your fooling me you little pain in the neck." He said to himself.

Pikachu started to come over to the girls. "Hey gals, what are you two doing?"

Buneary answered before Laura had the chance. "Oh, we're just having a friendly conversation is all."

"Well that's great. I'm glad to see that the two of you are getting along." Pikachu said with joy.

Suddenly from the forest, two mechanical nets came out of the bushes and went straight for Pikachu. He gasped and was able to dodge them with ease. But they were persistent and continued to try and subdue him. After awhile, they managed to capture _a_ Pikachu.

The humans and other Pokémon rushed over when they heard all of the commotion. "Alright, what is going on here?" Ash yelled.

A Meowth shaped balloon floated out of the forest and was levitating right over the gang with _Pikachu_ in the bag. Inside the basket of it were three familiar figures.

"Listen, is that the sound of confusion that I hear?"

"It speaks to me loud and clear."

"On the wind."

"Past the stars."

"In your ear."

"Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace."

"Dashing all hope and putting fear in its place."

"A rose by any other name is just as sweet."

"When everything's worse, our work is complete."

"Jessie."

"And it's James."

"Meowth, now that's a name."

"Putting the do-gooders in their place,"

"We're Team Rocket,"

"And we're in your face."

"Team Rocket!" The trio shouted in anger.

"Nice to see you twerps too. Now that we got Pikachu, it's taking a one way ticket to the boss." Jessie said with pride.

"And if you twerps try to attack, our mechanical nets block the attack with their captive." James pointed out. The trio gasped.

"Now, let's see our new Pikachu." Meowth said as he used the controls to raise Pikachu to their level. As soon as he can see it, he gasped. "Uh guys, sense when does Pikachu wear a pink bow on its head?" Jessie and James looked over to see that he was right. They looked at the ground to see that the original was staring at them annoyed.

"Sense when do the twerps have a second Pikachu?" James asked.

"Who cares, two Pikachu means twice the dough." Jessie said. James and Meowth agreed with a nod. "Alright twerps, hand over your Pikachu or else."

"Or else what?" Ash yelled.

"I'm glad you said that. Seviper and Yanmega, front and center." She threw two Pokeballs that revealed a large fanged snake and nasty looking dragonfly.

"Carnivine, sink your teeth into them." James threw a Pokeball that revealed a fly trap creature that made an immediate u-turn to his master, then biting his head. "My scalp is off-limits as a chew toy." He grabbed it and threw it back to the ground.

"We may not be able to attack the balloon, but we can still fight off their Pokémon. Torterra, go." Ash yelled as Torterra got ready to battle.

"Togekiss, you too." Dawn said as Togekiss started to fly in the air.

"Chansey, let's go." Brock told his Pokémon as it prepared itself.

"Alright Seviper, use Poison Tail." Jessie called. Seviper's tail glowed purple and attacked Torterra.

"Torterra, defend yourself, and then use Energy Ball." Torterra blocked the attack with his head and pushed Seviper away. He then started to charge a greenish-blue sphere and fired it at Seviper, who tumbled back in pain.

"Ergh, Yanmega, use AncientPower." Yanmega made a glowing copy of itself. It swirled into the shape of a sphere and she fired it at Togekiss.

"Togekiss, counter with Air Slash." Togekiss made a swirling motion with her wing that formed a ball of air and threw it at the AncientPower, destroying it. "Now use Aura Sphere." She formed a sphere of immense aura energy and hit Yanmega with it.

"Carnivine, use Vine Whip." Carnivine grew vines out of its arms and lashed them at Chansey.

"Quick Chansey, grab the vines and then use Pound." Chansey grabbed hold of the vines and pulled Carnivine forward. Her arm glowed and slapped Carnivine with much power. "Now use Secret Power." Her body emitted a pink aura and she tackled Carnivine. After which, due to the grassy area and Secret Power's effect, Carnivine went to sleep.

"Carnivine, this is no time for a nap." James shouted frantically at the out cold Pokémon.

While Team Rocket wasn't paying attention, Pikachu and Buneary were able to get on the balloon. They were quietly trying to get Laura out of the net. "Okay Buneary, if Team Rocket catches us, I need you to freeze them with Ice Beam." Pikachu said. Buneary nodded. They finally made it to the net. "Don't worry Laura; we'll get you out of here."

"Hurry before they catch you two." Laura whispered. Pikachu started to gnaw through the net while Buneary was keeping watch of Team Rocket. Pikachu was having a tuff time with the net. The ropes were too thick. "Pikachu, hurry."

"I'm trying; this rope isn't ripping too easily." Pikachu was trying to find another way to rip the net. Finally an idea popped in his brain. "Buneary, freeze the rope of the net, and then use your Dizzy Punch to break it."

"Alright Pikachu. Ice Beam." She used a less powerful version of her attack to freeze the rope enough to make an exit. "Perfect, now for Dizzy Punch." Unfortunately for them, Yanmega was able to spot them and fired a SonicBoom. The shock of the attack made Pikachu and Buneary fall from the balloon and broke the ice on the rope, along with the rope. Laura was now hanging on for dear life.

"Aaahhh, someone help me." Laura screamed. Team Rocket was able to hear the screams.

"Oh man, that other Pikachu is hanging on by a thread." Meowth exclaimed.

"We can't let it turn into a pancake." Jessie screamed.

"Don't worry. I'll use this comically large pole to grab it." James said holding the long pole.

"Why did we have that with us?" Meowth asked in confusion.

"Here's a better question, where did it come from?" Jessie said in confusion as well.

Ignoring them both, James started to guide the pole over to Laura. She saw it and tried to grab on to it. She kept trying to reach it but it was just a few inches off. She tried to reach as best as she can. Then James accidentally pushed the pole too far and hit Laura. She lost her grip and started to fall. James looked back at the others and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Woops." Jessie and Meowth face-palmed.

Laura was falling at a fast rate. Pikachu recovered from the landing and saw Laura falling. With quick thinking, he leapt forward and was right under her. He held out his arms and caught her, stumbling a bit. "Whoa that was close. Are you okay?" Pikachu asked her.

Laura looked over to see Buneary was starting to get up. She then smiled a little deviously. "Oh, my hero." She gushed as she leaned forward and quickly kissed Pikachu on his nose. Pikachu was left blushing and shocked. Buneary saw this and was grinding her teeth and marched forward. Laura got off of the half paralyzed Pikachu. Buneary was right next to Laura and was about to punch her until…

"Oh good, you guys are okay." Dawn said as the three humans and Pokémon came over to them. Buneary lowered her fist for she didn't want Dawn worrying about her getting into a fight.

"That's good." Ash said. He looked at Pikachu and frowned in confusion. "Hey buddy, is something wrong?" Pikachu was still paralyzed at what just happened to him.

Before they can figure anything out, two metal square rings came flying down and stuck to the ground. They emitted a rainbow colored energy that surrounded them, trapping them inside with no possible exit. Pikachu snapped out of his daze. "Now what?" Brock yelled in frustration.

Team Rocket's balloon came into view and they laughed joyfully along with their Pokémon. "Don't think that we didn't have a backup plan for you twerps." Jessie said smugly.

"Presenting the Twerp Trapper Super Hyper Shield Number Four. This baby traps any organic life form with no chance of escape. Only metal can get through that thing." Meowth gloated.

"Unless one of you was really a robot, you all we be stuck in there for awhile." James said in glee.

"Now check out the upgrades we've install." Meowth said as he pressed a button on the control panel. Mechanical arms appeared from the sides of the basket, while mechanical legs appeared from the bottom. Two more nets appeared from the back. The balloon landed on the ground. "With these nets, we can grab your Pokémon through the force field." The nets started to come towards them.

"How is it possible that Team Rocket actually came up with a good plan?" Ash asked to no one in particular. They started to block their Pokémon from the nets that were coming forward.

Before they were through the shield, a bright flash came from the forest and a black blur sped towards the nets. In one charge, it destroyed them completely. It then made a u-turn and sliced the metal rings, making the shield disappear. Team Rocket gasped in shock.

"Alright, we're free." Dawn exclaimed.

"But who is that Pokémon?" Brock asked. They looked at the cloaked Pokémon as it stood near the balloon.

"Let me see." Ash pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the Pokémon. "POKEMON CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED." "That cloak must be making it too hard to scan."

"James, what is that thing?" Jessie asked.

"I'm not sure Jessie. Maybe it's a new species of Pokémon." James replied.

"All the more reason to catch it." Meowth said as he had one of the arms try to catch the Pokémon. He just sidestepped out of the way and let it hit the ground. He then jumped into the air. His arm glowed and swiftly chopped the arm off.

"Wow, that was a Brick Break." Brock said.

The Pokémon jumped forward. His claws glowed white and slashed the arm and legs of the balloon. "It's destroying the balloon." Jessie said in fear.

The Pokémon jumped towards the balloon and went straight through it. The balloon was flying around willy-nilly until it tossed Team Rocket out of it.

"What was that thing? I never saw anything like it." James said.

"Who cares? It's going to pay for ruining our plan." Jessie yelled.

"Chill guys, everything is going according to plan. We just need to wait awhile longer." Meowth said.

"Until then, Team Rocket is blasting off again." They flew into the sky and flashed in a bright light.

"Hey, you." Ash called out to the Pokémon. It looked at him, his face still hidden within the cloak. "Thanks for helping us back there. But, who are you?" He simply ignored him and ran back to the forest. "Hey, wait." Ash ran after it, accompanied by the others. They went into the forest to search for their savior.


	6. Crushes and Heartbreaks

"Did you guys find anything yet?"

The gang and their Pokémon have been searching through the forest for a half hour or so. They wanted to know who saved them from Team Rocket. They've never seen any Pokémon battle with that kind of speed or power in their lives. They wanted to at least thank it with a nice meal for its help. Sadly, they couldn't find it.

"Sorry Ash, we looked everywhere. Even Staraptor and Togekiss haven't spotted it yet." Dawn said.

"Well we got to at least try and find it. Didn't you see how fast it took out Team Rocket? A Pokémon like that must put up one heck of a battle." Ash exclaimed.

"Always obsessed with a tough challenge, are you?" She mocked. Ash stuck his tongue out at her.

"Well, that's it. We've search everywhere and there is no sign of that Pokémon anywhere." Brock finally said. "But you do have a point Ash; who ever raised that Pokémon must have been a skilled trainer. Its Brick Break looked really powerful from what I could tell."

"Not to mention how fast it sliced up Team Rocket with that Slash attack." Ash pointed out.

"And when you think about it, from the way it just flew in, it might even know Aerial Ace." Dawn said remembering the creature's amazing speed.

"But there's one thing that's puzzling me," Brock said in thought, "why was it there at that exact moment in the first place? It's almost like it was observing us from how it knew that we were in danger."

"Maybe it was just interested in us for some reason." Dawn guessed.

"Maybe, but it still is kind of weird if you ask me."

"Speaking of weird, where did Team Rocket get all of that equipment from? They never had stuff like that in the past." Ash said.

"Something isn't right here." Brock said in wonder. "First the bridge to the next town was destroyed, then Team Rocket shows up with some new upgrades, and finally a Pokémon comes out of nowhere and saves us without much of a reason."

"Maybe we shouldn't think about too much Brock. It has been a long day." Dawn said.

"You're right Dawn, let's just head back to camp."

"Alright gang, let's get going." Ash yelled out to the Pokémon. They started to follow them back to the camp. But two Pokémon in particular weren't in their usual moods.

Pikachu was feeling a bit uneasy. He couldn't shake his mind off about Laura giving him that kiss on his nose. The more he thought about it, the more he blushed. He was developing mixed feelings about it and something else in particular.

Buneary was beyond ticked off at this point. She just saw someone she was attempting to become friends with kiss her crush right in front of her. True it wasn't a real kiss, but it really made her angry just thinking about it.

Everyone was back at camp and the day went typically normal as ever. But Pikachu was rather unfocused for most of the day. When he was doing training, he would stop in the middle of the battle and stare at Laura. He would get these mixed feelings about her and doesn't know how to describe them. In his mind, he would describe her as…pretty. He would smile at the thought, but quickly shakes it off and continues with training.

Buneary saw how Pikachu was looking at Laura and that got her blood boiling. She didn't know if she should be jealous of Laura, upset that Pikachu is giving her attention, or furious enough to attack Laura. All she did know is that she didn't like Laura at this point. Buneary has to find a way to make Pikachu like her before it was too late.

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_Pikachu was walking down the forest getting something to eat. After all of his hard training, he thought he should get some berries to enjoy._

_He kept looking around for berries. "Man, how hard is it to look for some berries? Did a whole hoard of Pokémon come down here or something?" He was about to look somewhere else, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a few Oran berries hanging from a tree. "Sweet."_

_He ran over to the tree and climbed up. He got on a branch and picked the berries off. He carefully climbed down the tree with the berries in hand (or paw)._

_He laid against the tree and started to munch on the berries. "Yum, these are pretty good." He said happily._

"_Mine if I have some?"_

_Pikachu yelped and sputtered out some berry. He turned and saw Laura. "Oh, hey Laura. Sure, you can have some." She made herself comfortable and sat next to Pikachu. She started to chew on a berry. "So, how come you're not asleep?" _

"_I saw you walk off and I didn't want you to get lonely." She said in a flirting tone._

_Pikachu blushed. "Oh, well, um, thanks I guess." He went back to eating his berry rather awkwardly._

"_So Pikachu, can I ask you a question?" He nodded and took another bite of his berry. "Do you like anybody?" Pikachu spitted out his berry in surprise. "It's just an honest question."_

"_Um, well, no. I'm not in any kind of relationship if that is what you're asking."_

"_So you don't have any kind of attraction towards Buneary?" She said with a devious smile._

_Pikachu looked redder than a Tamato berry at this point. "N-n-n-no, we're just friends. There is nothing going on between us."_

"_Well that's good because I think we would make a fine couple, wouldn't you say?" She flirted as she leaned in close to him._

_Pikachu was redder than a Groudon now. "You're making me uncomfortable here."_

"_C'mon Pikachu, I know you enjoyed that kiss I gave you in the afternoon. How bout a real one this time?" She leaned in even closer to him._

"_Uh-uh-uh-," was all he could spit out because he was becoming nervous._

_Just before she kissed him, Buneary comes out of nowhere and shoves her away. "Stay away from my man." She yelled at her. She sweetly smiled at Pikachu. "Hey Pika, how are you doing?"_

"_I'm feeling a little dizzy and very disturbed at this point." Pikachu said frantically._

"_Well I can make all your troubles go away if you want me to." She walked closer to him._

_Pikachu's face went four shades darker. "That's okay Buneary, I'm perfectly fine."_

"_You're upsetting him." Laura came back over angrily. "He would rather be with me."_

"_No, he would prefer me." Buneary shouted at her. _

"_Do you like me or her?" They shouted at Pikachu in unison._

"_I don't know, I'm SO CONFUSED!" He yelled._

_Right when they were near him, something jumps from the trees and takes him into the trees in the blink of an eye. Pikachu opens his eyes to reveal the mysterious Pokémon. He was about to scream but the creature put a claw to his mouth. "No screaming kid."_

_He removes the claw. Pikachu begins to speak, "Who are you, what are you, and what do you want?"_

"_I can't reveal too much of myself just yet. However, I will tell you that my name is Ryder and that's all you will know for now."_

"_Okay, but what do you want Ryder and why did you save me and my friends?"_

"_Like I said, I can't reveal just yet. I'm only here right now to tell you that you need to be careful about the ones you trust. Trust is a tool that will break someone if meddled with. All I can tell you is that I'm someone you can trust."_

_Pikachu was having a hard time comprehending this. "I still don't get what you want."_

"_That isn't important right now. What I suggest you do is wake up and try to calm yourself." Ryder said._

"_I guess your-I'M ASLEEP?!" Pikachu yelled in shock. "So you're a dream?"_

"_No, I've been taught secret ninja techniques from my trainer awhile back. This is one of them, entering nightmares, or in your case, strange fantasies. Now, time to awake." Ryder clapped his hands together._

_DREAM ENDS_

Pikachu shot up from his sleep with a loud gasp. He checked his surroundings. He was inside Ash's tent. Luckily he didn't wake him. _So, was that last part real or a dream?_ Pikachu thought as he got up and left the tent.

He looked around to see that everyone else was still asleep, including Buneary and Laura. He sighed in relief. He was glad that the dream wasn't real or at least the first part of it. But as he stared at them, he couldn't help but blush.

His ears perked up as he heard someone coming. He turned to see Piplup exiting Dawn's tent. "Pikachu? Why are you up? It's like three in the morning." He asked drowsily.

Pikachu needed to talk to someone about his dream and it might as well be Piplup. "Can you come with me for a minute? I need to ask you something."

"Sure pal, I won't be able to get back too sleep anyway." The two head into a part of the forest where they could chat in private.

Their leave, however, was noticed by Buneary, who woke up from Pikachu's gasp. "I wonder what that was about. Maybe I should go follow them." She got up and quietly followed them. She turned back to see Laura leaving. "Hey, where are you going?" She whispered angrily.

Laura turned and eyed her nervously. "Oh, I'm just, um, getting a late night snack." Buneary glared at her. "I'm not going to spy on the boys like you are. Trust me; I would rather annoy you in the morning than late at night."

Buneary rolled her eyes. "Whatever, just stay out of my way." She hopped into the forest to follow Pikachu and Piplup. As soon as she was out of sight, Laura turned back to way she was heading and grinned evilly.

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Pikachu and Piplup were near a medium sized tree with a large root growing out of it. They sat on it and made themselves comfortable.

Piplup began to speak, "So, what did you want to talk about?" He asked now fully awake.

Pikachu twiddled with his thumbs and looked nervous. "Well, it's about this dream I had a few minutes ago and it really messed with my head."

"Care to share your dream?" Piplup asked, encouraging him to explain.

Pikachu took a deep breath and began to explain. He told about how he was walking through the forest and got berries, Laura coming out of nowhere and flirting with, Buneary coming out of nowhere and flirting as well, and that the two demanded him to tell them who he liked more. He left out the part about Ryder because that might of got Piplup concerned.

During the time Pikachu was explaining, Buneary was hidden behind a nearby tree listening about the dream. She didn't know whether to be happy that Pikachu was dreaming of her or angry because he was also dreaming of Laura.

As soon as Pikachu finished, Piplup was deep in thought. "That is an interesting dream. But I don't get how exactly that could have made you freak out."

"When Laura was flirting in my dream, I noticed that she looked really pretty under the stars. Her fur was so shiny, her eyes sparkled playfully in the light, and her voice was so soothing." He sighed dreamily.

Piplup thinks he has an idea on what Pikachu is feeling, but decided to try something just to make sure. "How do you feel when you think about Laura?"

"Well, my heart starts to pound really fast, I feel a bit nervous around her, I stutter my words, and I feel like my face is getting hotter."

"Well there you go; those are the signs that you may have a crush on her." Piplup exclaimed softly. Buneary gasped, but not loud enough for Pikachu to hear. Pikachu was currently thinking about it and his eyes widened in realization.

"You right, I think I may like her, Piplup. I like Laura." He said happily.

Those words were enough to tear Buneary's heart to shreds. She whimpered and hopped back to the campsite, crying on the way. _He likes Laura?! Why, why, why?! How can he love her over me?!_ Buneary was back at the camp and cried her eyes out into a pillow so she didn't wake anyone. She was heartbroken, miserable, and teary-eyed for the remainder of the night.

If only she stayed a little longer though. The conversation Piplup and Pikachu were having now could have kept her from being heartbroken. "Wait a minute," Piplup said suddenly, "if that's how you felt about Laura, what did you think of Buneary?"

That made Pikachu droop his ears. "I…don't know. I just think were friends."

"Pikachu, I may have had past experiences of rejection, heartbreak, and getting violently beaten up that one time, but I know you have deeper feelings for Buneary."

Pikachu looked at the ground. "Well, she is sweet, nice, caring, funny, brilliant, amazing, _cute, adorable…_" Pikachu snapped out of his daze. "What were we talking about again?"

"Dude, I think you may be crushing on Buneary too." Piplup said with a smirk.

Pikachu looked away. "I'm not sure Piplup. I may or may not like her, but I always though about the things that could happen if we were together. If we broke up, we would probably never be friends again. If something ever happened to me, she would be left heartbroken and vice versa. If we weren't allowed to be together, it could greatly affect our lives. If the Earth was going to be hit by an asteroid-"

"Okay, stop." Piplup interrupted. "I think you're over thinking this, mostly because of that asteroid part. Look, try thinking about the good things that could come from being with Buneary."

Pikachu started to think. "We could have a happy life together; we could start a family, we would have the best time of our lives, and every night, we would enjoy each others company until were whisk off to dreams full of happiness."

"Okay, that last one sounded a tad girly." Piplup pointed out.

"You know Piplup, you're right, about me having a crush on Buneary not the girly talking part. I really think I like Buneary. But, I don't know who I would rather be with."

"Well, try spending sometime with them and you are going to the lake with Buneary, so maybe that will influence your decision."

"Yeah, guess you're right. Thanks for helping me out."

"Anytime."

"Let's start heading to camp." The two started walking back, but Piplup caught eye of a footprint. Buneary's footprint. _Buneary must have heard that conversation Pikachu and I had. I have a bad feeling that we aren't going to have a pleasant day tomorrow._


	7. All is Fair in Love and War

Pikachu slept rather peacefully for the rest of the night, despite his strange dream and his unusual encounter with Ryder. Ever sense he found out he had a crush on both Laura and Buneary, he had a warm feeling inside his chest which he liked. He just needed to find a way to choose between the two.

Pikachu woke with a yawn and started to stretch. He shook himself awake and started to walk out the tent. He saw that everyone else was awake and were getting ready to eat. He saw Laura leaning against a tree. Pikachu blushed remembering how cute she was in his dream.

He looked around to see something was missing. _Wait, where's Buneary?_ He looked around to locate for his friend. She usually was up before everyone else and ready to eat. _She couldn't be in bed still. She doesn't like to oversleep._

He walked over to where Ash and Dawn were sitting. Brock was whipping up some food for them while Sudowoodo was helping with the Pokémon food. Ash and Dawn were talking about something, no doubt battling techniques. But Pikachu picked up on a conversation that spiked his concern. "Hey Dawn, how come Buneary isn't up yet? She is usually the first one awake."

Dawn looked down, a little sadly. "I don't know, Ash. When I woke up, I noticed that she was still sleeping; at least that's what I originally thought. Her head was under a pillow and I could hear her sniffling. I lifted the pillow to see that she was crying and from how red her eyes were, possibly all night. I asked what was wrong, but that only seemed to make her more upset. I just let her stay in the tent 'til she felt better."

"Oh…well, I hope she feels better soon." Ash said, slightly concerned.

Pikachu didn't take the news well. _Buneary is upset?! But, why? She is way too positive to be upset. What could have made my dearest friend so upset? Maybe I should go talk to her. I did say that if she had a problem that she can come to me, or in this case, I'm coming to her._

Brock started to lay out the food bowls for the Pokémon. Everyone individually came up to grab their food. As soon as they did, there were only two food bowls left. Pikachu's and Buneary's. This gave the mouse an idea. He grabbed the two and started to walk over to Dawn's tent. He then felt a paw clasp his shoulder and spun him around to reveal Laura. Pikachu blushed from how close they were.

"So, where are you going Cutie Pie?" She said in a sweet tone.

"Um, I'm going to see if Buneary is feeling okay. I'm worried about her." Pikachu managed to say.

"Oh, _really_? Why is she upset?" She asked with a malicious tone that Pikachu didn't notice.

"That's actually why I'm going over to her. I don't know."

"Well, okay. Just come eat with me when you're done." She flirted.

Pikachu blushed brightly. "Um, o-o-o-kay. I w-w-ill." He started to walk over to the tent again.

Just as he left, Laura grinned evilly. "And once Buneary is out of the way, I'll be able to get you, Pika." She whispered to herself.

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Buneary was quietly whimpering under a pillow. She couldn't get any sleep last night at all. All she could do was cry and cry for the whole night, until she ran out of tears so she was currently whimpering.

_I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Why would Pikachu like me at all? I practically kidnapped him when we met and froze everyone. He just sees me as a friend and nothing else. I just hope he's happier with Laura than me._

Buneary heard the tent open. She thought it was either Dawn or Piplup checking up on her. That's when she heard the visitor's voice. "Hey Buneary, are you awake?" Pikachu. Buneary tried to stay motionless so he could leave, but Pikachu wasn't easily fooled. "Buneary, I know you're awake. Please come out from under the pillow." Knowing how stubbornly persistent he was (one of those other things she liked about him), she pulled the pillow off her head and faced Pikachu.

Pikachu recoiled in shock when he saw Buneary. Her eyes were red and puffy. Her fur was stained with dry tears and was messy. Her ears were limp, not in their usual rolled up state. Her fluff wasn't as fluffy as it usually was. She had a blank, emotionless look on her face, but with small traces of depression. Basically, this was not the Buneary that Pikachu knew and cared for.

"Buneary…what, what happen to you? You don't look like yourself." Pikachu said with major concern and worry.

Buneary really didn't want Pikachu getting worried, so she did the one thing that any known Pokémon was capable of doing: lie. "Um, I forgot to clean myself up this morning." Buneary said with a fake smile.

Pikachu didn't look convinced. "So why did I hear that you were crying last night?"

Buneary was darting her eyes everywhere, trying to avoid Pikachu's gaze. "Um, I stubbed my toes really hard on something." Pikachu's ears drooped, a sign that Buneary took as 'I don't believe that.' "I read a very emotional book last night." Pikachu narrowed his eyes. Buneary tried to think of another excuse. "I had a nightmare." Pikachu crossed his arms. Buneary was starting to get nervous. "I…ate a bad berry." She was officially out of excuses.

Pikachu sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Buneary, don't take this the wrong way…but you are a terrible liar." Buneary was laughing sheepishly and lightly. Pikachu walked closer to Buneary. "Now, tell me what is really wrong."

Buneary blushed at how close Pikachu was and looked away. "I don't want to talk about it. It's just too personal." Her voice was cracking a bit.

"Buneary, I said that if you ever have a problem, you can come to me and talk about it."

"I know. But right now, you're not really the best one to discuss this with. No offense."

"None taken." Pikachu then puts a paw on Buneary's shoulder and turns her around, making her blush again, along with Pikachu which Buneary didn't notice thanks to his red cheeks. "But seriously, can you at least tell me part of what's bothering you and making you so upset?"

Buneary got over her blush and sighed depressingly. "It's…" She mumbled something that Pikachu couldn't hear.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

Buneary mumbled it again, louder but still not audible.

"Come again?"

Buneary started to growl and yelled, "LAURA, IT'S LAURA!" Her yelling made Pikachu tumble back in major fright. "THAT NO GOOD WITCH IS RUINING MY LIFE! SHE INSULTS ME, ANNOYS ME, AND SHE IS TAKING YOU AWAY FROM ME! SHE HAS NO RIGHT'S TO HAVE YOU AT ALL! I WISH SHE WOULD JUST DISAPPEAR AND NEVER COME BACK!" Buneary noticed that Pikachu was shuddering in fright. Buneary started to cry new tears and hugged Pikachu. "Pikachu, I'm so sorry I scared you like that. I was just under a lot of stress and I didn't know what got into me. Please forgive me."

Pikachu started to calm down after Buneary's outburst and hugged back. "It's okay Buneary. I understand that you were upset. You just surprised me there for a bit." He started to stroke her soothingly. Buneary felt calmer already. When ever she was in Pikachu's arms, the world just seemed to disappear. "Buneary…just out of curiosity, what did you mean by taking me away from you?"

Buneary pulled back, but was still holding Pikachu's paws. "Um…I just didn't…want Laura to…have you with her all the time…because I don't want to lose a friend like you."

"So…that's why?" Buneary nodded. Pikachu lowered his head sadly, thinking she saw him as just a friend. "Well, okay. Glad to hear that."

Buneary lets go of his paws and goes over Dawn's backpack and pulls out a brush. "Well, I'm going to clean myself up. I'll be out later."

"Before I go…" Pikachu pulls out two bowls from behind him. "Maybe we could have breakfast right now."

The thought of eating with Pikachu alone and privately would have made Buneary squeal loudly and faint, but she needed to clear her thoughts on everything that has happened. "Sorry, but I would rather be by myself for awhile. Thanks anyway." Pikachu was a bit disappointed, but nodded anyway. He leaves Buneary's food and walks out of the tent with his.

Buneary wish she didn't decline his offer, but she just needed to sort through her emotions. But after their talk, she did feel a little better. _At least he still cares about me._ She started to brush her fur out and clean it.

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As soon as Pikachu was out of the tent, he was pulled into a hug from Laura. "So, you ready to eat now Cutie?"

Pikachu blushed in surprise. "Laura, why were you waiting for me like that? Couldn't you have just started eating?"

"And without you? No, absolutely not. I want to eat a full meal with just you by my side." She purred into his ear, making him grin kind of goofy. She started to drag him over to where she placed her food.

As they were eating, Piplup grew concern for Buneary. When he found out that she was upset, he confirmed that it had to do with the conversation he had with Pikachu last night. He also confirmed that she just heard the first half of it; otherwise she would have been squealing all night rather than crying.

He thought that he should probably say something about it or at least tell her everything Pikachu said. But Piplup remembered what Pikachu said when they got back to camp…

_FLASHBACK_

_Piplup and Pikachu got back to the camp. "Well, I'm off to bed. Night." Before Piplup could enter, Pikachu grasped his shoulder._

_He started to speak with a dark expression. "Before you do, promise me you will not tell anyone of what we talked about. If you do, I will send you flying with the strongest Volt Tackle that I have and make sure that every time you wake up, you get pelted by Draco Meteor. Is that clear?!" Piplup nodded his head frantically as he was intimidated by Pikachu. He then puts on a cheery face. "Alright then, sweet dreams." Pikachu walks back to his tent as Piplup stares at him with shock that he switch from frightening to cheery just like that._

_FLASHBACK END_

Piplup knew Pikachu would never actually do that, but he can still be scary when he wants to.

Piplup came over to the tent and went in, expecting to see a heartbroken Buneary. But what he found was actually a calm Buneary. She was currently brushing down her fur. Piplup couldn't believe what he was looking at. One minute Buneary was depressed, the next she acts like nothing really happened.

"Oh, morning Piplup. How did you sleep last night?" Buneary asked nonchalantly.

Piplup was confused. "Buneary, are you alright? Not too long ago you were bawling your eyes out."

"Oh that. Well, I just decided to not worry about it." Buneary puts the brush back in Dawn's backpack. "Don't tell Pikachu, but I may have over heard your conversation with him last night."

"How long were you listening?" Piplup asked casually sense he probably knows.

"Up to the part where Pikachu admitted he likes Laura." She said, but didn't sound too depressed when she did.

"And…you aren't upset by it at all?" Buneary shook her head. "So…you're just going to give up and get over Pikachu?"

Buneary shook her head again. "No, I will always love him. I'm just going to have to support it for now…until Laura _accidentally _falls off a nearby cliff and we never see her again." Buneary snickered mischievously while Piplup stared at her with wide eyes.

"…Wow," was the only way he could respond to that. "So, you aren't going to try and woo Pikachu into liking you anymore?" Piplup really wished he could just tell Buneary about Pikachu's new found feelings for her, but he was sworn to secrecy.

Buneary looked down a little sadly. "There really isn't much of a point. He would rather be with Laura than with me. I'll just have to deal with it until they just…don't want to see each other."

"But what if that never happens? Buneary, you need to realize that you need to take action every once in awhile." Buneary looked away. Piplup puts up his flippers. "Alright, I give. It's your decision and I totally respect that." He leaves the tent, but not before saying, "Just remember what I said."

Buneary looks back to see he left. She then starts to fluff up her fluff and uses a bit of Dawn's water to wash her face. She then turns around to leave, but bumps into Piplup and they both fall on their rears.

"What the-Piplup, I thought you left." Buneary said confused.

"I did?" He said while rubbing his head. His eyes widen and he smiles. "I mean, yeah I did. I just wanted to tell you something."

"Couldn't you have just done that while you were in here?" Buneary asked.

Piplup nervously started to speak. "Um…well-I just, um, forgot is all."

Buneary eyed him curiously, but shrugged it off. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Piplup cleared his throat and said, "Listen, you can't just give up on trying to get Pikachu to like you. You can't let Laura just win like that. You need to fight back and try to get Pikachu to like you."

"Piplup, I already told you, I'm not going to try anymore. I'm going to happily support Pikachu's feelings for her." She said with a smile.

Piplup gave her a slight glare. "Then how come you still looked depressed by it?" Buneary flinched sense she was surprised that Piplup saw through her fake smile. "Buneary, giving up on the ones you love is never a good thing. You never give up and you never give on love, like the love you still feel for your family when you were separated from them."

"Yeah, but going on like that just isn't-" Buneary's eyes suddenly widen. "Wait a minute, how do you know that I was separated from my family? I've only told Pikachu and Laura about that."

Piplup's eyes widened now. "Oh, um, I sort of…um, over heard you by accident." Buneary sighed. "Look, the point is that you shouldn't give up so easily."

"You're going to have to give me a solid reason as to why I should do something about it."

Piplup proceeded towards the tent door. "Behold, Exhibit A." Piplup opened the tent to reveal Pikachu and Laura and she was currently…being fed by Pikachu. Buneary's jaw dropped to the ground. Piplup gave a slight smirk. "And Exhibit B. Judging from Laura's facial expression, she is probably thinking about, oh I don't know, _kissing him_." Buneary started to turn red with rage.

"That. Is. It. Forget supporting, I'm going to clobber her." Buneary was prepared to charge, but Piplup stop her.

"Whoa there girl. I think there's a better way to solve this than brute force." He whispered something into her ear. "That probably won't solve everything, but at least you should be able to get Pikachu's attention."

"Alright, thanks Piplup." Buneary left the tent, as did Piplup. "Thanks for your help."

"Don't thank me, thank common reason." Buneary nodded and went over to the two Pikachu. Piplup then went behind the tent. "And thank you Camouflage Cloak." He said to himself as he crossed his arms and began to glow a special yellow color.

He grew into a slightly bigger size. As the glow diminished, in place of 'Piplup' was actually Ryder, still wearing his cloak. "Hopefully that gave her a confidence boost. Now to continue with my work." He jumped into the trees and started to dash off them like a ninja.

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Pikachu fed Laura the last of her food as she was lying down. "There you go Laura."

Laura sat up and gave him a hug. "Thank you for feeding Cutie Pie."

Pikachu rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I'm just being friendly and you did ask." Laura started to move her finger around Pikachu's chest. He sighed.

"So, you did something nice for me, now I'm going to do something nice for you. Close your eyes." Pikachu did as she said.

Laura started to lean her head forward. She moved her lips near Pikachu's and was just about to kiss him…when suddenly, a random Ice Beam comes out of nowhere and makes Laura move away Pikachu. He opens his eyes to see what happened. "What the heck just happened?"

Laura gets up, and then sees Buneary advancing towards her. "Oh Buneary, how nice to see. How are you feeling today?"

"Drop the act." Buneary growled. She pointed her paw straight at her and shouted so everyone could hear, "Laura, I challenge you to a battle!" Everyone gasped, except the trainers (obviously) and Laura. They both glared at each other with animosity. 


	8. Battle of Skill and Strength

"I challenge you to a battle!"

Everyone was surprised by Buneary's sudden outburst, for she wasn't the type of Pokémon to start a fight. No one, however, was more surprised than Pikachu. He always thought Buneary was a caring and sweet Pokémon. Now all of a sudden, she is challenging Laura to a fight. _What has gotten in to her? _Pikachu thought.

Laura stared for a minute, then chuckled. "Looks like someone has become delusional from all of that crying. You actually think that you stand a chance at battling me?"

Buneary growled lowly. "I actually know how a Pikachu battles considering I am friends with one. Plus you don't look like you can even stand a chance against me. So I'm going to show you just how strong I am."

Laura laughed darkly, giving the other Pokémon the shivers. "Remember when I said something about not jumping to conclusions? You don't know how powerful I really am." She looked straight at Buneary. "I'm only going to warn you that, if you battle me, you will be nothing but miserable."

"Oh, really. You haven't even done anything ever sense you got here. How many Pokémon battles have you actually been in?"

"Why don't I come over there and show you." Laura raised her fist and walked towards Buneary. Pikachu got in right between them before anything could happen.

"Whoa, time out!" Pikachu turned towards Buneary. "Buneary, why are you challenging Laura to a fight all of a sudden? It isn't like you to do something like that."

Buneary gently pushed Pikachu out of the way. "Sorry Pikachu, but this is about showing Laura that I'm not someone she can just push around."

"But what if our trainers notice this?" He asked to try and make her rethink this.

"They could think it's some sort of practice battle." Mamoswine said.

Pikachu shot him a glare. "You aren't helping." Mamoswine only shrugged.

Buneary looked deep into Pikachu's eyes. "You aren't going to talk me out of this." Pikachu groaned. "Please, just let me do this. I want to prove I'm not weak and emotional. I want to show that I'm able to handle myself." _And to give Laura a taste of my built up rage._ She thought to herself.

Pikachu was struggling on making his decision. He didn't want his crushes fighting each other to exhaustion, but he didn't want to upset Buneary. That's when he saw Buneary giving him the 'puppy dog eyes' look. He couldn't help but find it cute and, at the same time, affecting his decision. He sighed and said, "Find, you two can battle each other."

Buneary gave him a quick hug. "Thanks." Pikachu rubbed his arm sheepishly. Buneary turned towards Laura. "Ready to battle?"

Laura smirked. "I'm warning you, Buneary. You are going to deeply regret this when it's all over."

As they stared at each other with determination, Pikachu stared with concern. _I think I'm the one who's going to regret this when it's all over._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Pokémon walked over to a large open field with some trees in the background. Everyone really wanted to see the battle and were totally excited. Pikachu, however, was the only one who didn't like the idea of this. He still doesn't know why Buneary would do this. He thought there was another reason.

Piplup walked up to Pikachu. "Hey Pikachu, just so you aren't the only one who thinks this, I'm not really on board with them fighting either."

He smiled a small smile. "Thanks." Pikachu looked back at Buneary and Laura, who were facing each from a reasonable distance. "Do you have any idea why Buneary would want to challenge Laura like this?"

Piplup shrugged. "Beats me. I went to check on her after you did and she said she was fine. Maybe Buneary is trying to find a way to let out a little steam."

Pikachu still looked unsure. "Maybe, but even I know Buneary would never have come up with an idea like this. She's too sweet and innocent to think that way."

"Are you saying that someone may have went to talk to Buneary after I did or before you?"

Pikachu shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever the reason may be, I hope this doesn't turn out bad."

Piplup crossed his flippers in thought. "What do you think Laura meant when she said 'you are going to deeply regret this when it's all over'?"

"I'm afraid we're going to find out."

Buneary and Laura stood a reasonable distance from each other as they were preparing to battle. They both looked determined, but Laura looked confident as if she knew she was going to win. The look made Buneary sigh in annoyance. _How can she be so cocky if the battle hasn't even started?_

Chansey walked in between them and began the battle. "This battle between Laura and Buneary will now get under way. Both competitors will battle until one is unable to continue. Are both sides ready?" Laura and Buneary nodded. "Alright, let the battle commence."

Laura crossed her arms. "Hey Buneary, sense I'm feeling generous today, you may have the first strike."

Buneary narrowed her eyes. _She's up to something._ "You're going to regret that decision. Dizzy Punch!" Buneary charged forward. The fluff on her ears glowed a rainbow like color and thrust them forward like punches.

Laura stood her ground, waiting for the attack. Just as Buneary was in punching range, Laura stuck her arms out and caught the Dizzy Punch right in her paws. While Buneary was surprised, Laura lifted her up by the ears and gave her a forceful push in the air. Buneary was flailing her arms as she became airborne. Everyone gasped at how Laura was able to do that.

Buneary was falling at a fast rate. She positioned herself to land on her feet. When she landed, she used the momentum to spring herself back up for a Bounce attack. She came diving at Laura in a drill like spin.

Laura crossed her arms into an X and endured the attack. Buneary was still spinning when she made contact. Seeing as how nothing was happening, she launched off and charged an attack in mid-air. "Ice Beam!" A light blue orb appeared in front of her and launched three crooked beams at Laura, damaging her and encasing her in ice. When Buneary landed, she smirked. "So much for big, bad Laura. And here I thought I was going to have fun."

Unfortunately for Buneary, the ice around Laura started to shake and form cracks. Just before she could blink, the ice shattered and Laura ran towards Buneary at a speed that made her almost look like a shadow. Laura disappeared at the last second, making Buneary look around to see where she was.

Buneary felt a tap on her shoulder and she almost froze up. She turned herself around to reveal Laura. "Well, that was fun. Now it's my turn." With an evil smirk, Laura pulled her fist back and gave Buneary a swift, painful uppercut in the chin and sent her flying into the air. Laura did an unbelievably high jump in the air to catch up to Buneary. When they were high in the air, Laura brought her paws together and slammed Buneary back to the ground. The impact not only severely harmed Buneary, but created a large crater and several large cracks in the ground.

Everyone was petrified by that sheer amount of power Laura possessed, especially Pikachu and Piplup. "Pikachu, does Laura know Strength or are Pikachu capable of having that much power?"

Pikachu shook his head in disbelief. "That's just…impossible. Even Strength couldn't do that and Pikachu aren't known for their physical power. And Laura didn't even use an attack. That was just a regular uppercut and slam."

Despite the impact, Buneary was able to survive. As she was trying to get up, Laura landed in front of her and pushed her down with her foot. She leaned down and whispered, "This is the part where you cry for mercy." Laura gave a swift kick and sent Buneary towards a tree while dragging through the ground. She yelled in pain as she hit the tree. "Prepare to lose, Buneary." Laura launched herself in the air and did a dive straight at Buneary.

Recovering from the pain, Buneary noticed this maneuver and jumped out of the way just in time. After Laura hit the tree, it came tumbling down to the ground. Buneary sighed with great relief. "Oh man, that was too close." Buneary then gave a curious glance. "I never knew a Pikachu could be so strong."

Laura appeared out of the rubble and gave an annoyed glare. "So you manage to survive my attacks. Well, that won't last long." With a swift movement, Laura came running in at full speed ready to pulverize Buneary.

Buneary was scared for a second until she remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot." Just as Laura was about to punch Buneary, she disappeared on the spot and Laura only punched the air.

Piplup was surprised. "Whoa, what happened to Buneary?"

Pikachu was thinking and a light clicked on. "Run Away." Piplup gave a confused glance. "Buneary's ability is Run Away. It allows the user to escape from battle or certain danger. Buneary must have remembered."

Laura was looking high and low for the Rabbit Pokémon. "Where are you Buneary? Are you going to hide like the scared baby you are?" She was answered with a Dizzy Punch that came out of nowhere that nailed her in the face. Laura was pushed back and saw that it was Buneary. "Decided to fight back, huh? Well I guess you aren't has scared as I originally implied." Laura charged forward and fired a punch right on top of Buneary, who disappeared at the last second. Laura's fist was stuck in the ground.

Buneary reappeared not too far away. "Time for an Ice Beam." The attack froze Laura's stuck paw making it harder to get out. "Bounce!" She launched herself in the air and came down, spinning like last time. Laura couldn't dodge or endure the hit, so she braced herself. The attack hit Laura with tremendous force, but the shockwave broke the ice around her paw. Just as Buneary stopped, Laura launched a punch at her and sent her into the ground, painfully.

Pikachu looked frazzled. "Man, Buneary is getting wiped out there."

Piplup had a thoughtful expression. "Something doesn't make sense. Why is Laura using common, normal attacks instead of using something like a Thunderbolt?" This even stumped Pikachu, who was now starting to question Laura.

Buneary jumped up from the ground and started up a Dizzy Punch. Laura threw a punch at it and the two were locked into a stalemate. They glared at each other with determination. They were pushed back a good distance away from each other. Laura punched the ground and removed a large chunk of it. She threw it at Buneary with incredible power. Buneary jumped towards it and used Bounce to send it back at Laura. She easily countered this with a mighty blow from her tail, obliterating the projectile.

"You might as well give up, Buneary. I know all of your tricks and you only know three moves. I, on the other paw, have a plethora of strategies and skills. Why are you so determined to beat me?"

"So that I can show you that you can't push me around…and to stop you from taking my best friend away from. The most amazing friend in the world, a friend who always helps me when I have a problem, a friend who is willing to give me a shoulder to cry on, and a friend who never gets mad at me for doing something silly or stupid. That friend…is Pikachu!"

Everyone was momentarily stunned by what Buneary said. Pikachu was the one who took it in the most. _She thinks I'm that great of a friend?_ He was blushing a whole new shade of red just thinking about it. Though, most of the red was from embarrassment.

Laura looked touched. "Aww, that was really sweet. That was…beautiful." After she wiped away an imaginary tear, she grinned evilly. "But that still isn't going to make me stop hurting you." With unbelievable speed, she charged forward and tried to punch Buneary to end the battle. But Buneary caught the punch with her ears, stopping Laura in place. "What the- but I'm stronger than you."

Buneary grinned. "True, but even a strong opponent can be stopped with enough skill. Skill I actually have." Buneary gave a fling with her ears and sent Laura flying into the side of a tree. "Time for Dizzy Punch." Buneary ran forward, the rainbow punch ready to hit. But something was happening.

The rainbow color in her fluff went away and was replaced with a spiral of green energy with yellow stripes around it. When Buneary landed the attack on Laura, she felt like she was getting energy back. Laura flinched back from the attack and was sparking from her left cheek, which was where she was hit.

Everyone gaped in awe at Buneary's attack. "Cool, what was that?" Piplup wondered in amazement.

Pikachu happily answered, "That was Drain Punch!"

Buneary was just as amazed. "I can't believe it. I learn a new attack." She was jumping up and down. "This. Is .So .Awesome!"

Laura growled. "Yeah, yeah, real nice. But you still are going to get it." Laura ran forward, her fist charging with white electricity.

Buneary saw this and ran forward as well. "Let's give my new move another go. Drain Punch!" Green energy spiraled around her ear with yellow stripes.

The two attacks collided and neither was giving an inch. Electricity was flying from the separate attacks. The two adversaries glared at each other, not wanting to give up the fight. They kept trying to push each other back to gain the upper hand, but that was obviously not going to happen anytime soon. They were both running out of power in their attacks, not to mention stamina.

Their attacks finally lost power and the two foes collapsed on to the ground in exhaustion. Buneary was breathing heavily while Laura looked like she didn't break a sweat, yet she looked tired and exhausted.

Buneary started to speak. "I haven't…battled…that hard…in my entire…life!" She tried to get up to finish the battle and Laura was having the same thoughts.

That's when Pikachu stepped up and held out his paws at both of them. "Alright you two, that is enough. You two are out of breath and exhausted. I'm officially ending this battle." He heard a few complaints from behind him. Pikachu sighed and shook his head.

He started to march over to Laura. "Oh, hey Pikachu. Did you enjoy my awesome techniques?"

"What the heck was with all of that bizarre strength you had?" He demanded, completely ignoring her. "Don't you realize that Buneary could have seriously hurt or worse?"

Laura shrugged innocently. "Hey, she's fine. It's not like I sent her flying out of the stratosphere." Pikachu gave a small glare. "You're mad, right?"

"Ticked off, but I'm not mad. I'm just glad that Buneary is not hurt too badly." He then noticed that Laura's cheek was sparking, the same one Buneary hit. "Hey, are you okay?"

Laura was confused, but realized the problem and covered her cheek. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. That Drain Punch must have affected my electric sac. I'll be fine."

"Well, okay." He then walked over to Buneary, sitting on the ground looking nervous. "Now Buneary, before I get to the topic at hand, I think it's really cool that you finally learned a new move after so long." This made her smile. "Now back on track. I'm not angry or anything, but what possess you to have a fight with Laura? That is something you never do."

Buneary looked down uncomfortably and let a few tears fall. "I'm sorry, Pikachu. I really thought it was a bad idea at first. But the more I thought about it, the more that it seemed like a good idea. I just wanted to spend some time with you. But you seemed more interested in hanging out with Laura than with me. I thought this was the only way I could gain your attention. I didn't want to lose my best friend. I'm so sorry if you hate me for acting selfish." She covered her face with her paws to hide the shame.

Pikachu thought she lost her mind. _Why on earth would she think I would hate her over something so little?_ He tilted her head up and sat down. "Buneary, it's going to take something larger than some battle to make me hate you. Why would I hate you? You're sweet, charming, funny, caring, and so on."

Buneary wiped some stray tears. "You're just saying that."

Pikachu pulled Buneary into a hug, surprising her. "I mean every word of that. I would never lie to you in a billion and one years. For all I know, what I said was cold, hard facts."

Buneary giggled a bit and wiped her tears. "Sorry for acting the way I was."

"No need to apologize." Pikachu pulled away, but still kept a grip on Buneary's shoulders. "Listen, I'll cut you a deal. If you can behave yourself and try not getting mad at Laura for any reason, we will go to the lake tomorrow night. Sounds like a deal?" Buneary was nodding her head with rapid excitement. Pikachu laughed. "I'll take that as a yes." Another thought crossed his mind. "Buneary, what exactly made you think that a battle was the only way to solve this?"

Buneary rubbed the back of her head. "It wasn't really me who came up with the idea. It was Piplup's idea."

"WHAT?!" Pikachu got up and glared at Piplup. "Why in the world would you tell Buneary that this was the only way to solve things?"

Piplup was frightened and confused. "What are you talking about? I never said she should go pick a fight with Laura?"

Buneary got up and calmly said, "But you came back into the tent and told me to battle Laura to get her to stop picking on me."

"No, I left the tent to get my breakfast so I could eat. Then awhile later, you start challenging Laura."

"Wait a minute," Pikachu said in thought, "Buneary said she talked to Piplup, but Piplup went to get his breakfast."

"I was with him the entire time." Pachirisu chirped in.

Laura pitched an idea. "What if it was the mysterious Pokémon we saw?"

"I doubt that." Pikachu said. "True, a Piplup can learn Brick Break and Aerial Ace, but they definitely can't learn Slash."

"Besides, that guy was twice my height when we last saw him." Piplup added.

Buneary puts a paw on Pikachu's shoulder. "Pikachu, for all we know, he could have been a Ditto that used Transform."

"I don't know. I have a hunch that Ryder is definitely not a Ditto. What ever he is or why he's here, he seems interested in us for some reason."

"Ryder?" Piplup, Buneary, and Laura asked in confusion.

Pikachu sighed. "Maybe I should tell you about something I dreamt last night. Come on, let's settle down and I will explain." They walked away from the partly destroyed field along with the other Pokémon. Pikachu still had one recurring thought in his head, a thought that has been ringing in his head for the entire day. _Why did Ryder say I have to be careful with those I trust?_


	9. Ryder's Shadow

Nightfall came by quickly after the catastrophe that took place around morning. The gang was all asleep, dreaming happy thoughts as they did. Now, you would probably think that one of them is going to wake up and have some wacky moment before trailing back to bed. This chapter, however, has nothing to do with the gang at all.

As they were all sleeping, they were being watched by the mysterious and illusive Ryder. Despite his face being hidden, you can see a grin right on it. _Good, they are all asleep, especially that one._ He thought as he kept a close eye on Laura. _After that little mishap I purposely caused, she won't be leaving tonight because she'll be worn out. Really wish I didn't have to put Buneary in harms way. Now to find who I'm really after._ With quick speed, he ran through the trees. He jumped off each branch with grace and silence, not disturbing anyone at all.

While running, he thought about his reason for being here. He needed the help of Pikachu and Buneary for an important matter. His reasons, while unknown, were important for the help he needed in Unova. He couldn't just go up to them and ask for their help, however. His shady persona would scare their trainers and a couple of other things about himself. The only time Ryder talked to Pikachu was in his dreams, thanks to some things he learned in the past. He simply couldn't ask for his help at that time because, well, it was weird. He tried to warn him about the misuse of trust without going into too much detail. His reasons, again, were unknown.

Ryder kept jumping from tree to tree until he came up to a certain one he was looking for. As he landed on a large branch, in front of him was a large hole within the tree, big enough for a Flying-type to roost in. He reached inside and pushed away some stray leaves he put in there. Once done, he pulled out a large, silver suitcase made of metal. He opened it up for a quick second to make sure nothing was missing and closed it. With a tight grip on it, he started to jump through the trees again. This had to take a few moments due to extra weight. Luckily, his location was not that far away.

He perched himself onto a large tree branch that had multiple leaves which were decently hiding him from view. Upon closer examination of his cloak, it was a slick black color. Around where the cloak was tied around his neck was button of sorts. It was a reflective red and had a thin, silver rim. Inside his cloak was an array of hidden pockets he used to hide things.

He stared at a forest cabin that was a little ways off from the gang's campsite. The lights were on and there were three people inside happily preparing a feast of some kind. Ryder knew exactly who they were. _Team Rocket._ He thought in disgust. He watched them prepare their meal, then looked back at his suitcase. _Well, time to get started._ He opened up the suitcase once again to view the equipment.

Inside was a crossbow (not used to shoot arrows) and a jar of transmitter bugs. There was a small radio inside that aloud him to pick up on the transmitters' frequency. Along with the radio were headphones that can be attached to it. There was a set of bombs that were labeled _smoke bombs_. Also inside was a plane schedule for the next flight back to Unova along with a schedule for a flight to Sinnoh. Last, but not least, was a tablet for video messaging. Once done looking over his stuff, he started to set it up.

He takes the radio and headphones out of the case. He sets the radio down gently so it doesn't fall out of the tree and attaches the headphones, also setting them down gently. He takes a smoke bomb and the tablet out and places them into his hidden pockets. Next, he takes his crossbow and straps it to his arm. He took a transmitter from the jar and loads it in. He aimed carefully at the window, trying to find a spot it will not be noticed so easily. Once he found his target, he pulled the trigger in his paw and fired the transmitter onto the window. He puts the crossbow away and checks the radio.

He turned the knob on it to try and pick up on the signal. After what seemed like an annoying time finding the signal (annoying forest interference), he found it and sighed gladly. He puts the headphones on and turns another knob to adjust the sound. After finding the perfect setting, Ryder focused on the cheerful merriment within the cabin while also pressing what looked like a record button.

Team Rocket was placing a variety of foods on the table. They ranged from mashed potatoes to steamed vegetables to noodles to delicious donuts (or rice balls). They even had a delicious cake for dessert. They sat themselves down and happily ate their meal. They were in a really good mood while eating.

"Yum, this is the best meal I ever had." Jessie gushed at the taste. "Meowth, can you be a dear and pass the donuts?"

"Why certainly, Jess." Meowth slid the plate of donuts to Jessie, who took like half of them. "James, would you like any gravy with your mashed potatoes?"

"Why yes, thank you old chum." Meowth gave him the gravy bowl and he poured a reasonable amount on the mashed potatoes. James ate them and savored the taste. "Simply divine."

Jessie got up from her seat and raised her glass. "I propose a toast to Meowth for coming up with this wonderful plan to capture Pikachu and for ordering this wonderful meal."

James did the same thing as Jessie. "I second that notion. To Meowth."

Meowth blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh stop it, you're making me blush." He took his glass and clanged it with the others. "After all, the Boss was the one who provided the bucks."

"But it's because of your brilliant idea that we are one step closer to catching Pikachu." James pointed out. "If it weren't for your plan, we would have probably spent all of the money on cheap equipment…again."

"Besides Meowth, your strategy in this plan of yours is coming along great." Jessie exclaimed.

Meowth smiled sheepishly. "Aww, gee thanks guys." He started to chuckle evilly. "The best part is that the twerps don't suspect a thing, like how we were the ones who blew up the bridge to the next town. Luckily we got that shipment of dynamite so fast. With them stationed in one spot, we had an easier time planning out the main points of the plan."

"And that new equipment you bought really helped in gaining the edge on them." James complimented.

"And the best part is that I was planning on us winning or losing in capturing Pikachu and the rest of those Pokémon. If we won, we would have been in the jackpot. But, even though we lost, everything is going exactly the way I planned…" Meowth paused for a brief second and showed a face of irritation, "…except for that no good Pokémon who attacked us."

Jessie was equally irritated. "I know, it took out are balloon so easily."

"To be fair, it isn't that hard to destroy a balloon." James said.

Meowth sighed. "That thing interfered with my plans. I either want that thing captured or to 'disappear'." He said using air quotes.

"We could capture it for the boss and give him both it and Pikachu." James said.

Meowth nodded. "I know. But to be safe, I order some special equipment that will be coming in soon. It should be able to take care of that nuisance with no problem. Besides, all it did was slice up are balloon." Meowth chuckled a bit. "What's the worse it can do?"

Jessie chuckled as well. "Yeah, if we were battling that thing right now, we would win without a scratch." They were now laughing out loud in amusement.

Ryder listened to them carefully through the radio, with a little annoyance. _Idiots. Anyway, as soon as those clowns reveal the main ace in their plan, I'll drop the tape off at Pikachu's campsite and they will know about Team Rocket's plan ahead of time._

He tried to adjust his footing on the tree branch so he can view the window better, but, thanks to a cruel twist of fate, he accidentally stepped on an unnoticed Starly's tail. It cried out in pain, sending some painful feedback into Ryder's headphones.

Meowth's ears perked up. "Did you guys hear that?"

"I'll go check." James got up and went towards the window. He opened it to determine the source of the noise. Before he looked any further, he found something attached to the window. He plucked it off and observed it. "What is this thing?"

Jessie came up and examined it. "It looks like some kind of transmitter, used to pick up on frequencies. I think we used something like this before."

"But why was it attached to our window?" James wondered.

Meowth looked out the window and gasped. "Well, why don't we ask him?" Jessie and James turned their gaze towards Ryder, who was trying to calm down the Starly and didn't notice that Team Rocket spotted him.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't notice you there." He pulled out some berries and gave them to her. "Please accept these for my forgiveness." The Starly was hesitant at first, but took them, accepting his apology, and thanked him for his kindness. She took off back to her nest. Ryder wiped his head in relief. "Man, I've been off my game lately. Can anything else go wrong?"

"Net Launcher, Fire!" Before he could react, a net flew right at him and knocked him out of the tree, along with the radio. He hit the ground hard and seemed trapped. He looked to his right and saw the radio hit the ground, shattering it to pieces including the tape. Ryder gasped at the sight. He then angrily stared at his captors. "Sweet, I got him."

"Nice shot, Meowth." James said impressed.

Jessie walked up to the net and smirked. "So much for the big, scary Pokémon that thinks he is so high and mighty." Team Rocket laughed evilly while Ryder only got angrier. He tried to tear through the net, but it wasn't doing anything.

Meowth laughed smugly. "Don't bother trying to tear through it. This net was made to withstand the strength of an Ursaring. The chances of you breaking through it are zero to-" Before he could finish, Ryder's claws extended with a white glow and sliced at the net multiple times. Nothing happened for a couple seconds, then the net obliterated into loose thread. Meowth, along with the other two, stared in shock. "-none." He finished slowly.

Having gotten over their shock, Team Rocket got into a battle stance. Jessie yelled, "Alright, I guess we're going to have to do this the old fashion way." James and Meowth nodded in agreement.

Ryder pointed his claw at them. "Abandon your mission or you will feel my merciless wrath."

Team Rocket, once again, recoiled in shock as Ryder spoke. James started to stutter. "You c-c-can s-speak-k-k English?!" Ryder merely nodded.

Meowth was now enraged. "How is that possible? I'm the only talking Pokémon. It took me nearly a year to learn to speak."

Ryder chuckled. "A year? It took me at least a week to learn to speak English." Meowth felt like the world around him was destroyed. He made great effort to learn to speak and suddenly he meets someone who didn't have much trouble. Meowth bowed his head in shame in a comedic fashion.

"Meowth, snap out of it!" Jessie yelled.

"Don't you realize that if we capture him, we'll probably get a promotion and a bonus check?" James yelled as well.

Meowth perked his head up. He started to imagine a scene of the Boss petting him and congratulating them of their capture of Ryder. Ryder was sitting in a cage wearing a dunce cap and looking at the corner in depression. He also imagined the Boss kicking his Persian out the window, which fell to his doom and landed with a splat. After thinking it over, Meowth grinned evilly. "What are we standing around for? Let's capture him!" Jessie and James nodded in agreement and readied their Pokeballs.

"Seviper, Yanmega, Get ready to attack." Jessie let out her Pokémon who were itching to fight.

"Carnivine, strike fear into him." James released his Carnivine, who made a u-turn back at him and bit his head. "Don't strike me, strike him." He pried Carnivine off and threw him next to Seviper and Yanmega, landing gracefully.

Ryder shook his head in disappointment. "I'm warning you, call off your mission and I won't severely harm your Pokémon."

"You really think you can scare us like that?" Jessie yelled out. "Seviper, teach him a lesson and use Bite!" Seviper nodded and sprang towards Ryder, preparing to sink his teeth into him.

"I warned you." Ryder took a stance and waited for Seviper to get closer. When he was only a few inches away, Ryder quickly sharpened his eyesight. Suddenly, he saw Seviper moving slower and everything around him was slightly distorted. Ryder rolled under Seviper and stopped under his tail. He took both his paws and grabbed it. He then unsharpened his eyes and everything was moving at normal speed and looked normal.

Now, what the others saw was different. Seviper lunged at Ryder and prepared to bite him. The next thing he realizes is that Ryder disappears into thin air. Just before he could react to the sudden surprise, he felt a strong tug on his tail and stopped in mid-air. He turned to see Ryder had unexpectedly grabbed him without a trace of being seen.

With great effort, Ryder threw Seviper into the air. "Brick Break." With both of his arms glowing, Ryder jumped up at Seviper. First, he gave a swift hit in the chin, then used both arms to slam him to the ground, and finally grabbed his tail and gave a mighty toss at the other Pokémon, who got out of the way in time.

Team Rocket was completely gob-smacked. Jessie managed to speak. "How…did you do that?"

Ryder dusted himself off. "The hitting was simple, but not the speed. I learned to keep track of my opponent's movement without missing a beat. I evolved this tactic by sharpening my eyesight to see them moving slower then usual. By powering up my speed, I turned it into a personal strategy that is rarely beaten. Now are you ready to surrender?"

Jessie grew enraged. "Never! Yanmega, use SonicBoom!" Yanmega's wings glowed briefly and she fired a sound like energy.

Ryder ran towards the attack. Instead of taking it head on like everyone was thinking, he disappears a split second before the attack connects. He reappears right in front of Yanmega and raises his arms. "Slash." His claws glowed and extended in length. He gave a vicious swipe with both of them, sending Yanmega into the side of a tree.

Jessie gasped. "Oh no, Yanmega is out too!"

James stepped in. "Don't worry, I'll handle him. Quick Carnivine, use Bullet Seed." Carnivine nodded and fired a barrage of glowing seeds directly at Ryder.

Instead of dodging this time, he powered up his Slash and started deflecting the Bullet Seed with fast paced movement. As soon as the attack flow stopped, Ryder ran at Carnivine. "Aerial Ace." Ryder pushed off the ground and started to glide through the air with fast speed. He made a direct hit on Carnivine, then bounced off a tree and gave one more hit. Carnivine fell to the ground and groaned.

James was a mess. "No, not my poor Carnivine! How could you?!"

Ryder stood a fair distance from them. "I warned you to not have your Pokémon attack me. I tried to be reasonable, but you can't seem to get that through your thick skulls." Jessie and James were grinding their teeth.

Meowth noticed that Seviper, Yanmega, and Carnivine were getting up, still ready to fight. "It's not over yet. These guys won't lose to the likes of you." He taunted Ryder.

Ryder clenched his fist. "I'm giving you one last warning. Call them off or they will feel the wrath of my most powerful attack."

"Never! Seviper, Poison Tail. Yanmega, Steel Wing." Jessie ordered.

"Carnivine, you use Bite." James ordered as well.

The three Pokémon used their respected attacks and charged towards Ryder. He sighed irritably. "That's it." He disappeared from sight, leaving the three attacking Pokémon confused. Suddenly, they each were kicked hard in the back and thrown backwards towards their trainers.

"Oh no!" Team Rocket yelled in unison.

Ryder looked directly at them. "And now, they will feel my true power." He raised his paws to his sides. Immediately afterwards, blue fireballs ignited in both paws with intensity. He positioned his paws forward, aimed directly at the fallen Pokémon. The fireballs swirled together, creating a large spiral of fire. Ryder focused on his targets, who were currently quivering in fear at the threatening attack. After a few more seconds, Ryder calmly said, "Fire." The attack fired, turning into a high-pressured vortex of blue flames. The attack engulfed the Pokémon, setting them ablaze and screaming in pain. "This is the power of…Inferno."

The flames died down and the Pokémon fell unconscious from the sheer power. With worry, Jessie and James called them back to their Pokeballs. Meowth was both scared and curious from Ryder's display of power. "I never heard of a move called Inferno."

"It's not a common move around here. Hard to control when inexperienced Pokémon use it, but it is my most powerful attack. So I recommend that you don't send out Mime Jr. or Wobbuffet."

If it weren't for their determination to beat him, they would probably question how he knew about the other two. "We won't give up that easy." Meowth yelled.

"Right, so come on out Mime Jr." James yelled as he released his beloved Pokémon. He then realized his mistake and screamed, "Wait, I can't put my little Mime Jr. in harms way like that! What is wrong with me?!"

Jessie gave him a swift slap to the face. "James, suck it up and just attack."

James sighed. "Oh, alright. Mime Jr., attack with your Tickle." With a little laugh, Mime Jr. ran up to Ryder in an attempt to tickle him into submission.

Of course, Ryder was one step ahead and did an ancient tactic that man has used in dire situations like this…stick a claw out onto the little one's forehead and hold him back without any effort. Mime Jr. noticed this and tried to push on forward frantically, but he wasn't strong enough and slumped to the ground. "I'm against harming little Pokémon like this one, so please recall it back to its Pokeball or else." Ryder said gently.

James blinked in surprise, but shook it off. "While I appreciate the kind offer, my Mime Jr. will defeat you. Mime Jr., move back and use your Teeter Dance." Mime Jr. nodded and jumped back a little from Ryder. He started to do a little dance with a light blue outline surrounding him.

However, before it was given a chance to affect him, Ryder sighed and widely opened his cloak to reveal a swirling blue fireball that looked ready to cook something to a crisp. Ryder saw Mime Jr. stopped its Teeter Dance and freeze up in terror. Ryder smiled slightly. "You were saying?"

James panicked at the scenario of his precious Pokémon being overcooked by the attack. With a nervous smile, he said, "My good fellow, you must have misheard me. What I said was…Mime Jr., RETURN!" He screamed as he frantically recalled Mime Jr. back to his Pokeball. Once he did, he sighed with relief. "Oh, that was close."

Ryder diminished the fireball and put his arms back into his cloak. "Now, are you finally ready to give up?"

"We will never give up!" Jessie yelled. A flash came out of one of her Pokeballs and revealed itself as Wobbuffet, who gave his signature salute. Jessie sighed irritably. "I have no time for you." She raised Wobbuffet's Pokeball to return it.

Just before she did, Meowth stopped her. "Hold it Jess; if we're going to beat him, we need all the help we can get."

Jessie thought it over and nodded in agreement. "Right. Wobbuffet, get in there." Wobbuffet nodded and happily wobbled (or however he walks) over to battle.

Ryder thought over his battle strategy. _Okay, being the Patient Pokémon, it can only attack after I do. Do to Jessie's terrible knowledge on attacks and…other things, I doubt she knows Wobbuffet can use Safeguard and Destiny Bond. But she does know about Mirror Coat and Counter. _With a smirk, Ryder jumped into the air and glided at Wobbuffet at high speeds.

Meowth quickly responded to the attack. "That's an Aerial Ace, Jess."

Jessie nodded. "Wobbuffet, use Counter." With a salute, Wobbuffet's body was surrounded in a bright orange glow.

Ryder easily predicted this attack. He flipped in the air, changing from Aerial Ace to Inferno. Once he steadied out, he launched the attack in mid-air. "Fooled ya!"

Jessie panicked. "Quick Wobbuffet, change to Mirror Coat." Wobbuffet stopped using Counter, but couldn't pull off Mirror Coat in time and got engulfed in flames. By the time the flames diminished, Wobbuffet stood there, burnt and in pain. He gave a salute, a smile, and, while still looking like that, fell over unconscious. Jessie sighed. "Return Wobbuffet." Wobbuffet was recalled to his Pokeball.

Ryder dusted off his paws. "Well, that's everyone. So, if you would please just give up already…"

"Hold it; we still have one Pokémon left." Jessie yelled.

"Yeah, we still got one Pokémon left." Meowth yelled as well. He then went into thought. "Wait, who do we have left?"

Jessie grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him at Ryder. "You, of course."

Meowth was screaming as he was flying right at Ryder, which took awhile despite how fast he was moving. "What am I suppose to do?!"

"Use your Fury Swipes to attack." James called out to him.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Meowth unsheathed his claws, which were glowing, and swiped at Ryder. However, he countered this with his Slash, but didn't cause any harm towards Meowth. He landed safely on the ground and took a battle stance at Ryder. "Bring it on." He gestured in a mocking way.

Ryder smirked a bit. "This should be interesting." With fast movement, he launched at Meowth with both claws using Slash. Meowth countered, much to his surprise, and started to fight back against Ryder. He may have poor battle experience, but he wasn't too shabby with his Fury Swipes. They kept slashing at each other back and forth, countering each others attacks and not getting hit. They connected their claws with each other and pushed back. "Not bad, you have the heart of a true fighter."

Despite being his enemy, Meowth appreciated the comment. "Thanks, wish I could say the same thing to you." Meowth jumped at him and tried to slice his face, but Ryder dodged with simple sidesteps. "What the-"

"But you lack discipline and skill." Ryder raised both his claws and gave a swift swipe at Meowth's face in an X formation. Meowth took a second to realize what happened, then started to scream in pain. Ryder did a spin and gave Meowth a kick to the stomach and sent him flying towards James, who managed to catch him. "All three of you do."

Meowth was put down and glared at him, along with Jessie and James. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"You three all joined Team Rocket to become powerful and rich. Yet, all you got was the total opposite. Now you travel the world just to capture one Pikachu? Pathetic in my opinion. It's almost as sad as why you three joined Team Rocket in the first place."

Jessie stared in confusion. "Wait, you know why we joined?"

"Yep, so I'll start with you. Jessie, your mother was part of Team Rocket at one point. Great agent during her time. Best criminal in the world, if I'm correct. Too bad she disappeared on a mission in search for Mew." Jessie gasped at his knowledge. "And James, you lived a good life as a rich kid. But you got fed up with it, especially sense you were forced to marry your _strange_ fiancé. So you ran away, hoping for better." James gasped too. "You both attended Pokémon Tech together, but you both flunked out for getting the lowest scores in the school's history. You both then joined a bicycle bridge gang, weird in my opinion. You both then decided to join Team Rocket, thinking it would be better." Jessie and James were left flabbergasted at how he knew a lot about their past.

Meowth began to speak for them. "How do you know all of this information about?"

"It's not just them I know about Meowth." Ryder encased himself in his cloak and it started to glow a strange dark yellow. Team Rocket shielded their eyes at the light. When it diminished, in place of Ryder was…Meowth. Meowth stared in shock as Ryder started to speak, sounding exactly like him. "I know about you as well."

Meowth was almost speechless. "H…how…d-did you…"

"Where's the fun in spoiling secrets? Anyway, if memory serves, you were abandoned at a young age and weren't treated too well. You then saw a movie and realized that you would make it better in Hollywood. You didn't start off well at first, but joined a gang of stray Meowth led by a Persian. You were eating like a king, from your perspective at least. Then, you fell in love with a high class Meowth named Meowsi. She thought you were just a stray loser and were nothing like a human. So, you made it your goal to walk and talk like a human. After some time, it was achieved. But she then thought you were a freak, breaking your heart. You went on to Team Rocket to become rich and powerful to impress her. You met up with her again, fought for her love no matter what, only to get the same comment again." Ryder, still disguised as Meowth, chuckled. "Heh, kind of funny when you think about it. She gets abandoned on the streets as well and went through about the same things you did, and still thinks that you are a freak. It's funny in a way actually."

Meowth was grinding his teeth in pure rage. "It. Is. Not. FUNNY!" Meowth jumped at Ryder and started to attack him, with Ryder fighting back. They were rolling around a lot, making it hard for Jessie and James to figure out which one is the original. They were both fighting with equal strength, making it even harder to tell the difference.

The two separated from each other and took a stance. "You're going to pay for insulting me, you cloaked freak of nature." The Meowth on the left said.

"I'm not the freak of nature around here, you pyrotechnic nuisance." Meowth on the right said.

Jessie was really confused now. "James, do you have any idea which one of them is the real Meowth?"

James shrugged. "I haven't the slightest clue, Jessie. This mysterious Pokémon is a surprisingly good actor if he's able to imitate Meowth so well." James called out to them, "Alright, which one of you is the real Meowth?" Jessie face-palmed at that. She knew they would both just say…

"I'm the real Meowth." The two glared at each other. "No, I am." They started to comically stomp their foot on the ground. "No you aren't, I'm the original." They both pondered an idea and yelled, "Jinx, you own me a soda!" They both stared wide eyed for a second, then glared and started to push each other with their paws. "Will you quit copying me?!"

James, while still wondering whose who, was impressed. "You got to admit, he is a convincing actor." Jessie nodded in agreement.

"I'm the original, so why don't you do us all a favor and give up?" Left Meowth said.

"Because I'm the original, you no good imposter." Right Meowth swung his fist back and threw it at Left Meowth's face, sending him flying into a tree.

"Meowth!" Jessie and James ran over to the 'no doubt' real Meowth. They picked him up and took a look at him, seeing he wasn't hurt too bad.

The other Meowth looked like he was hit with a soccer ball. "What the heck are you guys doing?!"

Jessie glared at him. "You can drop the act now, you jerk."

James glared as well. "The real Meowth couldn't hit that hard. We would know, he smashed his hand on a bunch of bricks during a Croagunk competition."

"Don't remind me." The other Meowth said. He shook his head and returned to the matter at hand. "But seriously, I'm the real Meowth."

"Seriously, give it a rest." Jessie said annoyed.

"Well, if you say so." Jessie and James went wide eyed as they looked down at the Meowth in their hands. Next thing they notice is him jumping off them and giving a painful swipe to the face, simultaneously. Just before they could give a scream of pain, 'Meowth' flipped both of them over his head which resulted in them landing on the other Meowth. The attacking Meowth began to glow dark yellow and appeared as Ryder. "Did you know I was pretty good at imitating, mimicking or faking a hit?"

Meowth stared at his two partners in irritation. "And to think, you had him in your grasp." They smiled sheepishly.

"Enough games…" Ryder said, becoming menacingly serious and, to make it even creepier, the atmosphere became darker and colder around them. "I tried to be reasonable, but I guess this will have to end _my_ way now." Two blue fireballs appeared in his paws and he focused his attack on Team Rocket. The fireballs made an individual spiral, meaning he was going to launch two Inferno attacks. "This ends now."

Team Rocket hugged each other in terror, awaiting the incoming attack. "Looks like we are going to blast off again!" They whispered panicky, closing their eyes and waiting for the worse.

Ryder was going to fire it with no mercy or held back strength, but he was suddenly interrupted by a ringing in his cloak. He cancelled the attack, which Team Rocket noticed when they opened their eyes, and looked inside his cloak to see something flashing. _The tablet._ Ryder turned back to his foes. "You got lucky this time, but you will pay when I return." Ryder started to rummage something out of his hidden pockets.

Meowth stood up and pointed at him threateningly. "Hold it, just who exactly are you?"

"And how do you know so much about us?" Jessie added.

"And why are you interfering with are plans?" James finished.

Ryder pulled out his smoke bomb from earlier. "If you want to know so bad, ask your boss, Giovanni. But let this one phrase help you understand, to give you a clue on my background and reasons for revenge. These three simple words: Fear the Shadows!" Ryder threw the bomb and, in a bright flash, it erupted in a thick black smoke. Team Rocket was coughing hard on the smoke. Once it settled, he was gone, along with his suitcase.

All the three could do was stare as they let this new bit of information sink into them.

"Background?" Jessie repeated softly.

"Revenge?" James repeated in the same tone.

"Fear the Shadows?" Meowth finished off. They all just stood there, quietly taking in everything that happened.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryder, with the suitcase in his paws, was hopping from tree to tree until he came to the one that the suitcase was in earlier ago. He had to answer a call from his tablet, so he needed to be as far away from Team Rocket as possible. Once he put the suitcase away, he took the tablet out and swiped his claw on the screen to answer. "This better be good, Officer Jenny."

Without a shadow of a doubt, he was talking to Officer Jenny. But this one was different from the ones in Sinnoh. She had shorter, blue hair and was wearing a tan police outfit and hat. She seemed to have a look of worry. "Ryder, when are you getting back here?"

"Like I said before I left, I'll be taking a week long trip to get some help in the Sinnoh region."

Jenny sighed. "Ryder, we really need you back here. We're having trouble handling the situation without you here. You're the only one who can keep this disaster under control. We are especially having problems with them at night."

Ryder knew very well one she meant. "Look, I understand this is out of your level of work, but I think this Pikachu is the answer to our problems. I've heard he battled and one many battles. I even heard he defeated a Regice and tied with a Latios. Not mention, he has encountered a plethora of Legendaries and befriended quite a few. I'm telling you Jenny, he can help."

Jenny only shook her head at this. "Ryder, you don't even know if he would be willing to come or help. Plus, from that information, he would have a trainer who would miss him greatly. And, you don't even know if he would come to Unova. You need to get your head out of the clouds and realize what's important."

"THIS IS IMPORTANT!" Ryder yelled, making Jenny flinch. "I'm having been controlling that disaster for four years already. I want that mess to end already so I can have my life back, so I can…so I can…" He couldn't finish. He started to choke up at his words and began to tear up a bit.

Jenny started to show him sympathy. "You miss Ryan, don't you?" Ryder only nodded as he cried a little more. "And I'm guessing that you miss Jade too?" That made him cry even harder. "I'm so sorry Ryder; I didn't know this was just to get back to your trainer _and_ your girlfriend."

Ryder took the picture he had from before out. While it was still hard to make out, you could see a silhouette of Ryder having his arm around another Pokémon that's slightly shorter than him. "Jade…my love." He let out a sob. "Before this entire mess happened, I was planning on asking her to be my mate. We were so in love that I felt we should be together forever. Now…I'll never know." He gently put the picture back in his pocket.

Jenny was beginning to feel bad for what she said. "Ryder, I'm really sorry for everything. I didn't know you miss them _this_ bad."

Ryder rubbed his eyes. "It's alright Jenny." He took a deep breath and sighed. "Look, I should be back in three or four days. Do you think you can hold out until then?"

Jenny nodded. "We'll try. Good luck Ryder and please hurry when you get back. _He_ is waiting for you." Ryder clenched his fist as he was perfectly aware on whom she was mentioning. "See you soon." The screen went blank.

Ryder put the tablet away and looked to the sky. _I really hope I can get Pikachu's help soon. And I also hope I can get some help from Buneary when the time comes. _


	10. Preparing for a Date

As usual, the gang was hanging around either doing training or just talking. Some of the Pokémon, however, found out about Pikachu and Buneary's little trip to the lake. They would tease them or wish them luck.

Pikachu was in the middle of sparring practice with Buizel and was winning. "Iron Tail." His tail glowed and he swung it at Buizel.

"Ice Punch." Buizel's paw was surrounded by an icy energy and collided with the Iron Tail. It was an even match up at first, but Pikachu managed to push back, sending Buizel skidding across the ground.

Pikachu walked over with a small grin. "I think that's enough for today." He held out a paw to help Buizel up, which he gladly accepted.

"Guess you're right." He got up and dusted himself off. "I'm going to see if there are some berries nearby. Want one?" Pikachu shook his head to decline. "Suit yourself." Buizel walked off, leaving Pikachu standing there wondering what to do now.

That's when he heard the sound of humming behind him and he knew exactly who it was. "Hey Buneary, how you doing?" He said as he turned around to greet her.

"Oh, I'm doing find. What have you been up to?" She asked curiously.

"I just finished a practice with Buizel, nothing big." Pikachu said, kicking his across the ground. He rubbed the back of his head. "So, have you been behaving yourself like I asked?"

Buneary nodded. "Yeah, I managed to have a friendly talk with Laura without the urge to pop her head off." She let out a low growl that Pikachu noticed, but ignored. "It will all be worth it tonight."

"Yeah, it will. So, what should we do if we go tonight?"

_I'm hoping we could become more than friends._ She thought. "I'm sure we will think of something to do when the time comes."

"Yeah, we'll have a blast." Pikachu really didn't know what else to say. He was truly nervous about the outcome of the events. He didn't want anything to go horribly wrong. He still needed to figure out who he liked more. "Well, I should go see what the others are up to at the moment. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, I'm going to go talk to Togekiss for a bit. See ya and I can't wait for tonight." She hopped away leaving Pikachu smiling sheepishly and developing a small blush on his face.

_Okay, I should just stop worrying. There isn't anything that could possibly ruin it. Maybe I'm still stressed by the events from yesterday. Yeah, that's probably it._ With that, he walked over to Piplup, Pachirisu, Cyndaquil, and Buizel. Piplup and Cyndaquil were arguing with each other and Pachirisu was watching with Buizel who was calmly eating an Oran Berry.

"I'm telling you, my combination is more graceful and beautiful than yours." Piplup shouted.

"And I'm telling you that you keep messing up because you have the skill and balance of a Spinda." Cyndaquil retaliated. The two started to push their heads against each other while glaring.

Pikachu walked over to Pachirisu and Buizel. "What are they arguing about now?"

Buizel shrugged. "Hard to say. Originally, I thought they were arguing about messing up each other's combination moves. Now they seem to insulting each other to defend their pride. I don't know, I just got here." He took another bite of his Oran Berry.

Pachirisu sighed. "If this keeps up, I will be tempted to use Discharge on them."

The two bickering Pokémon kept at it awhile longer, until Pikachu got annoyed and walked over to them so he can push them back from each other. "Enough you two. I already have enough problems on my plate. I don't need you two at each other's throats just to prove a point."

Cyndaquil stopped arguing with Piplup and looked at Pikachu. "Enough problems? Is something wrong Pikachu?"

Pikachu shook his head. "It's nothing, really. There is nothing wrong with me at all."

Piplup smirked widely. "Does this have anything to do with your _date_ with _Buneary_?" Pikachu blushed and covered his face with his ears. "Ha, I knew it. You're even hiding your blush like Buneary does in front of you."

Pikachu shot him a glare. "Shut up, Piplup."

Buizel finished off his berry and decided to join the conversation. "What's this about Pikachu going on a date with Buneary?"

Pikachu waved his paws at him frantically. "Nothing, it's nothing. I'm just going to take her out on a relaxing stroll at night to the lake. That's pretty much it."

Pachirisu giggled a bit. "Aww, isn't that cute? I'm so happy for you two. Hey, when you two become mates and have kids, can I help babysit them for you guys?"

Pikachu was starting to look like he got a major sunburn on his face because he was red everywhere. No exaggeration. "We aren't a couple and I never even thought of having kids!" He shouted angrily. While the thought crossed his mind once or twice before, it was really embarrassing for it to come out of a friend's mouth.

"Whoa Pikachu, calm down." Buizel pleaded. "No need to throw a fit about it."

"Yeah, I'm only teasing." Piplup added. "I do it a lot with Buneary, but I guess it's still funny since you have a crush on her." Cyndaquil, Pachirisu, and Buizel gasped. Piplup realized his mistake. "Oops." He said simply.

"You have a crush on Buneary?!" They yelled in unison, but not loud enough for anyone else to here.

Pikachu shot an annoyed glance at Piplup, who was wearing an embarrassed smile. "Hehe, well, everyone makes mistakes from time to time, right?" He was answered with Pikachu putting his finger onto his beak, rather calmly, and releasing an electrifying blast of energy that fried Piplup. Once the attack was finished, Piplup was standing on one foot, burnt to a crisp, and wearing a goofy but in pain face. "Glad you aren't mad at me buddy." He said idiotically and fell onto his face, unconscious.

Pikachu shook his head, then directed his attention back to the other three. "Alright, a couple of days ago, I may have developed some feelings for Buneary…and I also may have some for Laura. I'm hoping that going to the lake with Buneary will clear my head and help make a decision. I was hoping to keep this a secret so no one bugged me about it or tells Buneary. But I guess_ someone_ needs to learn to keep their mouth shut." He emphasized towards Piplup, who was currently twitching from electricity.

"Hold on," Cyndaquil started, "You know Buneary has a crush on you. Why don't you just be with her then?"

Pikachu blushed a bit. While he wasn't a romantic expert, he was well aware of the rabbit's crush on him. "I know, but I still need to make sure my feelings towards her are real before I make any final decisions. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel towards Laura."

Buizel crossed his arms. "While I'm not into that gushy romance stuff, I personally think Buneary is the girl you should be with. You two are pretty close and know a lot about each other. When she has a problem, she comes to you first. If she needs help, she can always count on you for support. You two almost always eat with each other when it's meal time."

Pachirisu nodded in agreement. "Buizel's right. If I didn't know any better, I say that you had feelings for Buneary that you didn't know about. You do occasionally blush when she nuzzles you."

Pikachu took a glance at all of them. "You guys honestly think that Buneary is the right choice." They nodded their heads. Pikachu started to think it over. "I still don't know, but I will keep what you guys said in mind. Thanks for your help." Pikachu walked away so he can try and think it over.

Cyndaquil sighed. "I'm happy for Pikachu."

Pachirisu nodded. "Yeah and Buneary will be super happy when she goes with him tonight."

Buizel took a glance at the ground. "Now that we have that done with, what are we going to do with _him_?" They looked down to see that Piplup was still twitching. Buizel sighed. "You grab him and carry him over there," He was pointing at a shady tree, "while I get the Parlyz Heal from Brock's backpack and some Oran Berries." They nodded and proceeded to do so.

XXX

Buneary was currently brushing her fur so she could try and impress Pikachu. While doing so, she was talking to Togekiss about the night. "I'm really hoping it goes great tonight at the lake. Once Pikachu sees how groomed and pretty I look, he'll definitely want to be my boyfriend. Then we'll cuddle with each other while sleeping, eventually become mates, have kids…"

She would have gone on, but Togekiss had to stop her. "Try focusing on tonight before you get ahead of yourself, darling."

Buneary blushed. "Yeah, sorry. I'm just really excited. Since I haven't gotten into a fight with Laura…today…he is definitely taking me to the lake. The anticipation is killing me."

"And I'm really excited for you. I hope you and Pikachu have the best night of your lives." Buneary smiled widely at her kindness and continued to brush her fur.

Unknown to them both, a certain cloaked Pokémon was observing them from the trees. He wasn't spying on them mostly; he was keeping an eye out for Laura to make sure she stayed on the down low. He was bored and decided to eavesdrop on the conversation out of curiosity. _Pikachu and Buneary are going to the lake near here, huh? I hope they have a good time._ He made sure to stay out of sight for his safety and everyone else's.

Togekiss stood up and stretched her wings. "Well, I'm going to take a nap somewhere. I'll see you later." Buneary waved bye as her friend flew off to a tree.

Buneary did a few final strokes and took a look at herself. "Hmm, that should do it." She then saw a shadow loom over her. Buneary turned to see it was Laura. Despite their differences, Buneary managed to give a cheery greeting. "Hello, Laura. Is there anything you need?"

Laura shook her head. "No, I was just wondering what you are up to."

"I'm just grooming myself up for Pikachu. I want to look nice for when we go to the lake tonight."

"Aww, isn't that cute?" Laura gushed, then, almost suddenly, she pushed Buneary against a tree. "Listen here you little twit, if I see you and Pikachu come back as a couple…well, I will ruin your life."

Buneary was getting scared. "Why do you hate me so much? I've tried to be nice to you, but all you do is try to emotionally or physically harm me."

"In my eyes, you are nothing more than an obstacle. And once I get rid of you, Pikachu will be all mine." Laura grabbed Buneary's neck and push up the tree. She was starting to choke a bit. "You can just make it easier on yourself and ditch him when you get the chance. Is. That. Clear?!" Laura's eyes looked like they flashed red for a second, but Buneary knew that was just the panic talking. Buneary gave a quick nod just so she could get out of her grasp. "That's what I thought." She dropped Buneary, who tried to scramble away. "And if you tell Pikachu, you're done for." Buneary hopped away frantically.

Laura let out a dark chuckle and walked away somewhere, only to be stopped by an ominous voice. "That was over the top, don't you think?"

Laura turned to come face to face with Ryder, who was currently staring at her upside down while hanging on to a grappling device. "Well, if it isn't Mr. Darkness himself. I see you saw my little performance back there."

Ryder repositioned himself and dropped to the ground. "Listen to me carefully, I want you to stay away from them and go back to where you came from. I know you aren't a wild Pokémon and that you never had a trainer. It has all been one big lie. You just want Pikachu."

Laura shrugged. "I can't help it if I'm in love with him."

"I know that is a hoax too. I know why you want Pikachu and I will stop you."

Laura laughed. "Okay, you do that right now if you want. But you also know what will happen if you try that, right?" Ryder took a step back. "Oh, so you do know. Gold star for you."

"Mark my words, when you are away from everyone, I will make sure that I finish you."

Laura laughed again. "Good luck with that. Because I just know that Pikachu will fall head over tails with me. Then, he is mine." Laura walked away from Ryder, who was clenching his fist in anger.

_What can I do? Buneary is becoming paranoid of Laura, Pikachu has separated feelings for them both, and I can't attack Laura, otherwise she could…_ He paused in his thoughts at what would happen. _I need to calm down and think this through. I can't harm Laura or change Pikachu's feelings towards her…but, I can help him with Buneary._ That struck an idea into his head. _That's it. Looks like I'll be playing matchmaker tonight. I can't believe I'm actually going to do something like this._ He disappeared into the forest, getting ready for tonight.


End file.
